


California Dreaming

by MyDirtyLittleSecret



Series: Umeda/Shizuki [2]
Category: Hanazakari no Kimitachi e | Hana-Kimi (Manga)
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-08-04
Updated: 2015-04-27
Packaged: 2017-10-22 05:29:56
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 13
Words: 56,751
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/234354
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MyDirtyLittleSecret/pseuds/MyDirtyLittleSecret
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Shizuki finally brings Umeda home to meet his family and friends. How will they all take to the new boyfriend?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: I don't own anything belonging to Hana Kimi. The original characters are mine though. Please ask before trying to use them. This is the only time I will put this note up.
> 
> A/N: It is necessary to read Sitting, Waiting, Wishing before reading this one as this is the sequel to that story.
> 
> Warning: Strong bad language (lol) and some minor smutty stuff.

all the leaves are brown  
and the sky is grey  
I've been for a walk  
on a winter's day  
I'd be safe and warm  
if I was in L.A  
California Dreamin'  
on such a winter's day  
\- California Dreaming song

Summer break was right around the corner. The kids would all be out of school soon. Adults would all be taking time off to go on vacation with their families. This also meant that a certain amber eyed doctor would also be off too. Shizuki Ashiya had every intention of taking advantage of that fact. His internship was over. He'd been working at the hospital mostly as a volunteer whenever he felt like it. He was taking some time to decide what he wanted to do with his life. He'd reached his main goal of becoming a fully certified doctor. He had sort of stalled after that. The head doctor had extended the invitation of employment to him at the hospital where he worked. It was very tempting, but he wasn't sure. He wasn't quite sure working in a hospital the rest of his life was what he wanted. More than that though, he needed the time to go see his family. He hadn't seen them in months. And he had made a promise.

He'd promised his dad that he would bring his boyfriend, Hokuto Umeda, home with him the next time he went back to California.

Boyfriend.

Six months ago that term would have scared the holy hell right out of him. He'd been in an official relationship with Umeda for several months now. They'd known each other for well over a year. It felt like Umeda had been a fixture in his life for much longer than though. It was kind of amazing. He was still surprised sometimes with how fast everything in his life had changed. Funny, how things always changed all at once.

All of those thoughts went through his head in about half a second as he talked to his father on the phone.

"Yeah, Dad, I'm doing great." Shizuki was saying.

"Well, I'm very proud to hear your volunteering at the hospital while you decide what you want to do. Most young people these days won't do anything without getting paid. I'm sure the staff appreciates the extra help." His dad replied.

Shizuki smiled even though his dad couldn't see it. "Yeah, Doctor Takawa has been really persistent in trying to get me to accept his offer to stay on there. It's nice to know they like me that much."

"Yes, that's always a good feeling." There was a pause. "Are you still living with your friend from work?"

"Uh yeah," Shizuki replied uneasily. He hadn't wanted to tell his dad that he'd been living with Umeda since pretty much the moment he'd come back to Japan. He wasn't sure how his dad would take it after finding out so suddenly that he was in love with a guy. The blond had thought that might be a little too much for his dad to handle all at once. He felt guilty for not having admitted the truth yet, but he just couldn't seem to find the right moment to tell his dad.

"He's fine with you staying even though you don't have a real job?"

Shizuki cringed before saying. "Oh yeah. He's totally fine with it. He knows I need some time." It wasn't lying. Umeda was fine with it. Shizuki had enough money saved up to keep helping out with everything despite not being paid regularly. Umeda didn't really want his money anyways. They had argued about that in the first month they'd lived together. Shizuki hadn't wanted to stay if Umeda wouldn't let him help pay for some stuff. He didn't like feeling like a moocher or that his boyfriend was his sugar daddy. The idea was just to horrifying. Umeda had surrendered after laughing at him for that stupid thought. He let Shizuki pay for groceries and their date expenses. Umeda paid all the rest of the bills.

"Well that's good," his dad sounded slightly suspicious. "Listen, your mother keeps bugging me about when you're coming home again. She misses you."

"I'm working on that. I've been saving my money up." Shizuki told him honestly. He really did want to go home for a visit. He missed his hometown. He missed all his friends there. Most of all, though, he missed his family. "I need to talk to Umeda about it."

He heard his father sigh softly. "Right, you have to bring him."

"I know." Shizuki heard the door to the apartment open. "I gotta go, Dad. It was nice talking to you."

"Alright, son. You take care of yourself," his dad replied.

Shizuki hung up and twisted around to see Umeda shuck his shoes then his jacket. He smiled in appreciation as he eyed his boyfriend's body. Umeda always had to wear such tight fitting clothes. Everything he wore hugged his figure far to well. It was probably the only thing about the doctor's outward appearance that gave away the fact that he was gay. No wonder so many of the boys at Osaka High threw themselves at the doctor. Umeda looked up at him and smirked in that wild cat way of his that told Shizuki he was horny.

"Honey, I'm home," Umeda said sarcastically.

"Welcome back, darling," Shizuki replied in just as mocking a tone. "You're in a good mood."

Umeda sauntered into the living room like a tiger on the prowl. Shizuki swallowed hard as he watched the sway of his boyfriend's hips and the tell tale outline of his hard on come closer.

"I had a good day. There were no stupid accidents. No silly love confessions. No lectures from my boss about my rude and loud behavior with the little terrors at school. It was quiet. And I had all the time in the world to sit around twiddling my fingers and think," the doctor told him as came to stand between Shizuki's legs. He leaned down, resting his hands on either side of the blond's head, and kissed him hard on the mouth. "I thought all the things I would rather be doing with you here instead of wasting my time there."

"And getting paid for it," Shizuki pointed out with a grin.

"True, but it's not as good as fucking," Umeda replied bluntly.

Shizuki shook his head with a chuckle. That was a great thing about dating a guy. Guys were always horny or could be in a moment's notice. So he got sex a lot more now than he ever did with any of his previous girlfriends. It was fun to be able to fuck basically whenever the urges arouse. Although it did tend to cause issues with job tardiness, regular meals, and trying to go out on days off. Not really a big deal though. His own dick started to wake up and pay attention as Umeda sank to his knees before reaching for Shizuki's zipper.

"Don't you want dinner first?" the blond asked more out of curiosity than actual hunger. Honestly, his upstairs brain was already losing focus thanks to the downstairs one. The doctor dragged Shizuki's underwear and jeans down around his thighs in one smooth, hard tug.

"Nope. I've been waiting to do this all day," Umeda said a second before he took Shizuki's cock in his mouth.

Shizuki's eyes slipped closed. "Oh fuck," he breathed out. He would never get tired of Umeda doing this to him. He was so good at this. It was good thing Umeda always stopped before he got off otherwise they'd never get around to doing anything else. His hips surged upwards as the doctor scraped the underside of his cock delicately with his teeth. His downstairs brain was definitely the one in control now. He cracked his eyes open when the doctor pulled off his cock. He watched as Umeda shucked his pants and climbed onto his lap. He wrapped his hand around Shizuki's dick before spreading himself open.

The blond's hand flew up to grip Umeda's hips, holding him in place. "Isn't that gonna hurt you if you're not prepared?"

"It might, but I like it when it hurts," the doctor told him with a lusty smirk.

Shizuki wet his lips with his tongue. The idea was kinda hot in a kinky way. Well, as long as Umeda was fine with it.

He didn't really have much of a say in the matter anyways, because a moment later Umeda's body was taking him in. Shizuki groaned at the incredible sensation of sliding inside of his boyfriend. Umeda was always so hot and tight—so fucking perfect. He arched his back and bucked his hips up, driving into the doctor faster. Everything after that seemed lost to the all important goal of finding the ultimate height of ecstasy. Dinner left his mind, so did the phone call with his dad, and the problem of getting Umeda to agree to come to California with him. It didn't really matter at the moment. He was drifting away in a sea of gratification, moans, and the gorgeous dance of Umeda's body on top of him. The rest could wait for a little while longer…

/

Umeda growled irritably as he rolled over and groped for his phone. It was ringing, high and fucking loud, continuously. He wondered for a second when it had suddenly become morning. The night seemed to have just slipped away. Whatever. All that mattered was he was still tired. That damned phone was still ringing. He heard Shizuki groan in annoyance when he knocked a book to the floor with an excruciatingly loud thud. Finally, he found the phone and snatched it up. On hindsight, he should have checked the caller I.D. Stupid rookie mistake.

"Hello," he croaked into the phone.

"Hokuto! Why didn't you tell us you were officially dating Shizuki Ashiya!?"

Umeda yanked the phone away from his ear with a grimace. "Uh, God, what the fuck, Io? Do you have an idea what time it is?" He snarled into the phone as his finger aimed for the end button.

"Don't you hang up on me! I'll come over there in person to yell at you!" She threatened.

He froze. "What the hell do you want?"

"Why didn't you tell your family about Shizuki? I had to hear it from my son!"

"Io, it's none of your damned business, that's why," Umeda growled at her.

She sniffed dismissively. "Yes, it is. We deserve to know who are new brother in law is."

"Oh my God. Shoot me," Umeda sighed heavily. "Did you even have a reason for calling besides bitching about my love life?"

"Yes. You and Shizuki are coming over to Mom and Dad's house for dinner. Shizuki is going to be officially welcomed into the family. You are showing up whether you want to or not. No excuses. No trying to get out of it. Or I will come hunt you done. You better be here by 5pm!" She demanded curtly.

"Io-!"

"See you tonight, Hokuto!" The phone line went dead.

Umeda cursed loudly and chucked the phone across the room. He buried his head back under his pillows, wishing that had all been a bad dream. On the floor, the phone began to bleat it's dead line tone incessantly. Shizuki shifted in aggravation and slammed his hand down on the mattress before heaving himself upright. He glared balefully at the phone on the floor then down at his boyfriend. He elbowed Umeda in the side who snarled something threateningly.

Shizuki rolled his eyes. "You couldn't, at least, turn off the damn thing?" Shizuki grumbled, getting up to retrieve it. He swiped the phone off the floor and clicked it off before setting it back in its cradle.

Umeda pulled his head out from under the pillows. "Just come back to bed. It's to early to be awake."

"To late now. I'm already up. No thanks to you," Shizuki replied rudely.

"Blame it on my sister."

"So Io wants us to go over to your parents for dinner?"

"Yesssss," he hissed irritably.

Shizuki folded his arms across his chest. "Why didn't you tell them about us?"

Umeda glanced up at him. "I forgot."

"Uh huh."

"I've had other things on my mind." The doctor said as if that were obvious.

Shizuki arched an eyebrow upward. "Like what?"

Umeda pushed himself up to face the blond. "Like you're hot body for one."

The blond swallowed as the sheets slipped completely off his boyfriend leaving him completely exposed. "I can see how that would be distracting."

"Oh yeah," Umeda smirked at the reaction Shizuki was having to his naked body. "Especially when all day long all I can think about is wanting to get you naked again. So I can touch, suck, bite, and fuck you until there's no energy left for anything else."

"Sounds like you're a pervert," Shizuki remarked, almost succeeding in sounding calm despite his dick jumping to attention thanks to Umeda's dirty talk.

"I'm much worse than that," Umeda grinned, grabbing the blond by the hips and tugging him closer.

The blond smiled. "Don't I know it."

"Shuttup and fuck me," the doctor yanked him down on top of him.

Shizuki laughed as he tumbled downward. "Well, if I must…"


	2. Chapter 2

Hokuto and Shizuki walked up to the Umeda main house residence. Both of them looked up at the house with the same expression of resignation. The doctor was dressed at lot nicer than he'd rather be for just having dinner with his own family, but Shizuki had insisted he should. The blond had refused to let him go in the casual jeans and t-shirt Hokuto had been wearing at home. So he had put on a pair of grey slacks, a black sweater (Shizuki swore black was the only color he had in shirts), and a black pair of loafers. Shizuki was comfortable in a pair of khaki pants and a button up blue shirt that was the exact shade of his eyes. The only thing Hokuto wanted to do at the moment was go back home, rip that shirt off his boyfriend, and screw him right in the middle of the living room floor. But noooo, he had to go have dinner with his crazy family. He sighed to himself.

"Why're we here?" Hokuto grumbled.

"Because you're sister told us to be." Shizuki replied easily.

"I really don't want to be…"

"They aren't that bad." The blond gave him a sideways smile.

Hokuto looked over at Shizuki to see if he'd lost his mind. "Did you forget what they did to us last time?"

"Well, it sorta worked out for the best in the end, didn't it?" the blond shrugged indifferently.

"Yeah, watching you get off for the first time was pretty damn hot." Hokuto smirked lustily as his eyes drifted over his boyfriend's body. He'd never forget that night. Everything had been so perfect in those few minutes when both their hands had been wrapped around Shizuki's cock- jerking him off. Fuck, now he was getting hard.

"That's not what I meant."

"I know what you meant."

"Stop changing the subject then." Shizuki reprimanded him primly.

"I'm not. I still don't wanna be here." Hokuto reverted back to the original discussion before his hard on got to bad.

"If we don't show up your sister said she would hunt us down. You know she will too."

Umeda shuddered. "Yes she would. Why do they feel like they have to be a part of my love life?"

"It might be because they are your family." Shizuki pointed out irritatingly.

"It doesn't give them the right to poke their noses into my business. God, knows I don't even want to think about my parents together like that. I don't think my sister ever has sex. Her husband is so cowed by her. He's always sneaking off on 'business trips' to get away from her." Hokuto remarked with a disgusted look.

"I bet they have wild, kinky sex. I could totally see her as a dominatrix." Shizuki glanced over at him with a teasing smile.

"That's just fucking gross. I didn't want to picture that about my sister. However, likely that might be." Hokuto felt like he might be sick. His face screwed up into an expression that looked like he had sucked on a lemon.

"So are you gonna knock on the door or what? I don't feel like standing out here all night. And I am getting really hungry." Shizuki looked over at him expectantly.

"Fine. If you're ready to start being tortured, be my guest. You knock."

"Pansy."

"Right. I don't see you knocking."

Shizuki reached out and knocked very loudly. "How's that?"

"You have just doomed us for the rest of the evening. I hope you're happy."

Shizuki never got a chance to answer, because the door opened a second later.

"You're late." Io said.

"You're lucky we're even here." Umeda answered rudely.

"I'll thank Shizuki for making you come. It's good to see you again, Shizu-kun." Io smiled sweetly at the blond.

Shizuki smiled back, though his smile was a little wane. "Same to you, Io."

"Liar." Hokuto hissed.

"Shuttup." Shizuki murmured back.

"Well, come in you guys!" Io gestured for them to step through the door. "Everyone's waiting in the living room. Well, except Minami. He couldn't be here tonight. Anyways, Mom's been very excited to see you again, Shizuki."

"Well, it has been a while since I've been over." The blond replied.

Io laughed. "We didn't think you'd ever come back. Hokuto always scares the best ones off."

Hokuto glowered at her. "How would you know? You never met any of my other boyfriends."

"That's because you didn't have boyfriends," Io said with a smug smile. "You had boy toys."

Hokuto didn't have a chance to retort with any nasty comments. They had reached the living room by then. Shizuki paused in the doorway as Hokuto and Io walked in. Mr. and Mrs. Umeda were sitting on the one couch, Rio was in a chair, and Io took the other chair besides her. Hokuto headed for the couch the two had sat in the last time they were here. It was just like when they had come for Christmas. Shizuki had a weird feeling of déjà vu. Only this time he really was dating Hokuto. Shizuki walked in and sat down beside his boyfriend. Hokuto looked over with an understanding smile.

"I'm so happy you both came," Mrs. Umeda clasped her hands together in a pleased gesture. She was still wearing the same style of Lolita outfit that Shizuki had seen her in last time. She was cute, but he was a little weirded out that she wore those outfits at her age. "It's good to see you again, Shizuki-kun."

"It's good to see all of you again too," Shizuki smiled politely. "The Christmas party was definitely something I wouldn't forget any time soon."

"I bet," Io snickered.

Hokuto gave her the finger from behind his other hand. Io scowled at him. Shizuki nudged the doctor in the side.

"So when did you come back to Japan, Shizuki-kun?" Mr. Umeda asked curiously.

Shizuki cleared his throat. "Ummm…almost six months ago."

"And Hokuto, you didn't deem it fit to tell us you two were dating?" Mr. Umeda turned his eerily piercing glare on his son.

Hokuto looked unaffected. After all, he had the same unnerving glare down to a science. Having it turned on him didn't bother him anymore. "I didn't really think my love life was my family's business."

They two eyed each other irritably.

"Well, it doesn't matter now. We found out anyways," Rio spoke up for the first time with a grin. "It was pretty obvious you two had some serious attraction issues."

"Oh, it's so wonderful that you two are together. We knew there was a spark between you both." Mrs. Umeda smiled cheerfully. Rio and Mrs. Umeda looked triumphant.

"Which was why you all concocted that whole mistletoe scene," Umeda rolled his eyes.

His mother beamed at him. "You can't be angry with us. You two were beautiful together. We all just wanted you to find someone you could be with. I'm so glad you finally did find someone. You deserve a good man."

"Mom," Hokuto looked thoroughly embarrassed. Shizuki was turning bright red beside him as well. With did family always have to be so humiliating about this stuff.

"Now maybe you'll settle down," His father remarked.

"Yeah, cause I was such a whore," Hokuto muttered under his breath.

Shizuki snickered and whispered. "From what I've heard you were."

Hokuto glanced over at him. "Ok, maybe a little."

Shizuki covered his laugh with a cough.

"So you two are living together already, huh?" Io put in from where she sat on a chair next to the couch.

"Yes," Umeda glared at her.

"That's so sweet," Io smirked at her brother.

"I bet Mizuki is thrilled to have us as in-laws," Rio grinned.

Both men twitched at that reference.

"What? They don't know you're dating?" Rio asked curiously.

"Oh they know. Mizuki was the one who practically threw me on the plane to come back to Japan," Shizuki replied.

"So what's the matter?" Mrs. Umeda inquired worriedly.

"They don't exactly know that I'm living with Hokuto," the blond remarked quietly.

"Ooooooh." They all said in unison.

"They're still getting used to my…choice of partners," Shizuki said delicately as he twiddled his fingers.

"If they've accepted you're dating our son, I'm sure they'd be ok with you living together," Mr. Umeda replied calmly.

"My dad's still adjusting."

"Well, that is understandable. A man does have a rough time accepting that his son is gay. It's not easy to give up the notion of grandchildren and having the family name carried on," Mr. Umeda said off handedly. "Gays also have a bad reputation for getting into trouble."

"Thanks, Dad," Umeda scowled.

"You're lucky you didn't get some STD with the way you acted." Io remarked smugly.

"I'm a doctor. I know how to be safe. And why are we suddenly discussing my sex life?" Hokuto glared at her.

Shizuki hid his amused expression behind his glass as he pretended to take a drink. The doctor's irritated gaze shifted to his boyfriend. The blond shrugged innocently.

"So when are you gonna take Hokuto to meet your parents?" Mrs. Umeda asked abruptly.

Shizuki suddenly looked very uncomfortable. He cleared his throat as Hokuto arched an eyebrow at him like he was saying 'yeah, what about that?' "Uh, I'm not sure. We haven't really discussed it."

"You're going to go though, right?" Rio asked.

"Of course. I promised I would take Hokuto back with me the next time I went home. I was kinda hoping to go this summer, but I haven't really put a lot of thought into it yet." The blond replied earnestly.

"Summer, huh?" Hokuto glanced over at him. Shizuki could tell he was irritated that the blond hadn't mentioned any of this before confessing it all to his family. Shizuki spread his hands helplessly.

"I was gonna mention it to you eventually."

"Oh that's nice to know," Hokuto remarked in annoyance.

"Oh shuttup, Hokuto," Rio told her brother. She focused her attention back on Shizuki. "When you go can I come? I haven't seen Mizuki and Julia in ages. Please, let me come along? I won't get in the way!"

"Rio, we don't even know when we're going," Hokuto growled.

"And you're not missing school," Mr. Umeda put in.

"But if they go in the summer I could go too! I won't miss any school. I'll pay for my own plane ticket! C'mon Shizuki! Pleeeeease!?" Rio begged with puppy eyes and clasped hands.

"We'll think about it," the blond replied uncertainly.

Rio beamed. "Yes! I'm going to California!"

Hokuto put his head in his hands and groaned aloud. Shizuki patted his shoulder comfortingly. He leaned in close to whisper. "Rio might draw some of my family's attention away from us. It could be a very good idea to take her along."

"Or a very bad one."

"C'mon, she's your sister. It won't be that bad."

"You're such an idiot," Hokuto shook his head before sitting back up.

Rio was still grinning like she'd won the lottery.

"Well, on that note, I think it's time for dinner," Mrs. Umeda stood up and began to usher them all into the dining room.

"About damn time." Hokuto grumbled. He glared balefully when Shizuki elbowed him. The doctor sighed. He prayed the rest of this evening would just end already so they could go back home together.

/

"So when were you gonna tell me about going to California?" Hokuto asked when they had finally gotten back to their apartment.

Shizuki looked sheepish as he handed over a beer and plopped down onto the couch beside his boyfriend. "I dunno. Soon…?"

"Glad I didn't make any plans. I usually do, you know." Umeda glanced over at him as he flicked through the TV channels.

"Yeah."

"I had a feeling this was gonna come up so I deliberately left my schedule open," the doctor told him with a smirk.

"I'm sorry I didn't-." Shizuki started to apologize.

"Don't worry about it. I'm just picking on you."

"Ok. Well then let me do this the right way," Shizuki turned in his seat, clasped Umeda's hand, and acted like he was about to propose. Hokuto snorted and shook his head disdainfully.

"Better make this good."

"Shuttup, and let me do this," the blond scolded him. Hokuto smiled and gestured for him to continue. "Hokuto, would you please come to California with me to meet my parents. It would make me so happy if you accompanied me on this journey back to my home land."

Hokuto laughed. "That was so cheesy. But yes, I'll go…but-."

"But?"

"You have to introduce me as your boyfriend. No skirting around it or trying to act like I'm just a special friend. That goes for anyone you know that we might run into while we are over there." Hokuto looked him in the eyes and said seriously.

Shizuki looked a little unsettled, but nodded. "Alright. Fair enough. I think I can do that."

"Ok, then. When do we leave?"

"Well, I was thinking mid-June. Like the 15th through the 30th. I already checked the airline prices and they are very good for those dates."

"Alright. Did you already buy the tickets?" Hokuto asked with a cynical smile.

Shizuki shook his head with and chuckled. "No. I wanted to ask you first. But now that I have your answer I'll go buy them now. Before the prices go up." He stood up to retrieve his laptop. "And I'm buying Rio a ticket too."

"We are seriously going to take Rio?" Hokuto didn't look entirely thrilled. "I'd rather not have my baby sister along to witness me having to meet the parents."

"Oh relax. I wasn't lying when I said she would take some of the focus off of us. My mother will be so excited to do all kinds of girly stuff with Mizuki, Rio, and Julia. Plus, my dad can see that you didn't come from an entirely degenerate family." Shizuki explained casually.

Hokuto snorted. "That's what you think. They are degenerates."

"To you. I like them. Even if they are pushy and nosy." Shizuki chuckled. "Look at it this way. Rio's ten times better than taking Io. Besides my sister would be thrilled to see Rio too. I can't deny her that."

"Alright already! She comes!" Hokuto threw up his hands dramatically in surrender.

"Good, because I already told her yes when we were leaving," Shizuki grinned as he fell back on to the couch with his computer on his lap.

Hokuto sighed heavily. "Why do I even bother protesting?"

"I dunno," the blond shrugged with a grin. He leaned over and stole a kiss from his boyfriend before he started searching for plane tickets. He didn't miss the pleased smile on Hokuto's face out of the corner of his eye.

/

"You're gonna regret taking her," Umeda smirked at Shizuki when Rio shoved by him and stole the window seat in the row they were assigned on the plane.

Shizuki shook his head as he took the middle seat. "I will not. It's to late now anyways to send her back. And Mizuki would be angry if I tried."

"Julia's gonna be there right?" Rio asked excitedly for the hundredth time.

"For Kami-sama's sake, Rio, yes! The blond crazy girl with be meeting us when we get there too," Umeda snapped at her as he seated himself beside Shizuki. He hated being in the aisle seat.

Rio rolled her eyes. "Sheesh, Hokuto. Chill out. Shizuki's parents aren't gonna eat you or anything. Even if you are screwing their son."

"Rio!" Both guys barked in humiliation.

"Man, you gay guys are touchy. You're worse than girls. Seriously," she grumbled, folding her arms over her chest.

Shizuki sighed and ignored her. He wasn't gay. He just happened to fall in love with a guy. He smiled to himself. Ok, fine. He was gay. Whatever. "Are you really that nervous about meeting my parents?"

"No, I'm not," Umeda groused, crossing his arms over his chest too.

"Yes, you are," Shizuki smirked. "Relax. It'll be ok. They'll like you."

"And your father?"

"He'll adjust, Hokuto. He has too."

"Fine. Just keep all the damn animals away from me."

"Yeah, yeah. I know, you animal hater," Shizuki laughed softly.

"I don't hate all animals." Umeda glanced over at him with a sly look.

"Oh really? Then what kind of animals do you like?" Shizuki asked skeptically.

"Men." Umeda smirked.

Shizuki groaned and looked away. "I walked right into that one."

"Yep," Rio agreed.

Shizuki scowled at her. It was going to be a long plane ride. He was happy he was finally heading back home though. He did miss California. He had been starting to get a little home sick. Though, he'd have never admitted that to Umeda. It would be good to see his family and friends again. Maybe he could get a bit of a recharge that would help him figure out what he wanted to do with his life. He had a big decision to make and the pressure to make the right choice was stressful. He needed a break from worrying about it. This was exactly what he needed. He just hoped everything would go as well as he had assured Umeda that it would.


	3. Chapter 3

"Shizuki!" Mizuki's voice could be heard screaming halfway across the baggage claim.

The blond grinned and raced over to meet her. He picked her up, hugging her hard. She laughed as she squeezed him back just as tightly. He barely noticed Julia racing behind him to hug Rio with a squeal of excitement. Mizuki stepped back as soon as he set her down, but she still held his hands.

"I missed you," she said with a bright smile. "I'm glad you came home to visit." She glanced behind him to see Dr. Umeda walking up much more sedately than either Shizuki or Rio had. She waved at him excitedly. "Oh my God, it's so great to see you Umeda-sensei!" She practically tackled Umeda when he drew close enough.

He smiled, hugging her back for a moment after he regained his balance. "It's good to see you too, Mizuki."

"Rio!" Mizuki cried, letting go of Umeda to hug her next. The two girls giggled excitedly as they grasped hands. They were so happy to see each other they were almost jumping up and down. "My mom can't wait to meet you. She's already planning all kinds of things for all of us to do."

Umeda gave Shizuki a horrified look. In his experience girl stuff always meant he ended up involved too. Shizuki ignored him. "Who drove you, Mizuki? I thought Dad was coming."

Mizuki paused in her reunion with Rio to look over at her brother with an exasperated look. "I drove. Dad had an emergency. He had to stay at home. Mom was in the middle of cleaning and starting dinner. So Dad trusted me and Julia with the car to come and get you."

"Amazing. My baby sister driving," Shizuki chuckled. "Sure you didn't hit anything?"

"Yes! And I'm not a baby!" She protested.

"I know." He said, ruffling her hair.

"Hi Shizu!" Julia broke the moment. She hugged the blond hard. "Nice to see you again!"

"Same, Julia. You've grown taller," Shizuki smiled, giving her a brief hug before extracting her from his person.

Julia stood on tip toes to whisper in his ear. "Nice job snagging, Umeda. He's so sexy."

The blond flushed bright red. "Er, thanks, Julia."

"You're welcome. Hi, Dr. Umeda!" She turned her attention to the other man.

"Hey, crazy," he shot back with a smirk. "You have gotten taller. Looks like you're padding your bra though."

Julia look scandalized. "It's not padding! Those are real! And why are you looking at my boobs, you pervert!"

Umeda laughed. "Ok ok. Relax."

Shizuki shoved him. "I think it's time we headed home. We're all tired."

"Ok! Follow me!" Mizuki grinned.

"We have to go get our bags first," Shizuki laughed, grabbing her jacket before she ran off.

"Oh right." She started to turn away again.

"Hold on." Shizuki kept a hold of her jacket. He put out his hand. Mizuki sighed heavily. "I'm driving. It's traffic hour. It'd rather drive since I know this city better."

"Ok," she didn't fight. She handed over the keys. She wasn't to disappointed about it. Now she could sit in the back with her friends and talk.

"Liar," Umeda hissed.

"Ok, so I don't want to listen to her girly music. Shoot me." Shizuki smirked at him.

/

The girls chattered happily in the back seat. Shizuki drummed his fingers on the steering wheel to the beat of his music. Umeda seemed content to merely stare out the window at the passing scenery. Shizuki was glad to be home. He loved to Japan but California was his home. He'd never moved until college. Even then it hadn't been far. His dad had stayed in Berkeley ever since he got his veterinary degree. His mother had lived in town and worked as a nurse. His dad had met her when he went to the emergency room because of a dog bite. It had been love at first sight, his dad had said. They'd only been together 5 years when she'd died. Shizuki remembered how devastated his dad had been. He'd been to young to really understand yet. For almost 3 years, it had just been Shizuki and his dad. He had hated it when his dad met his stepmom. They'd met when his dad had seen her dance at a festival in Berkeley. He had only meant to compliment her graceful dancing and ended up asking her out. Shizuki had thought his dad was betraying his real mom. He had wanted his real mommy back, not someone pretending to be his mommy. Gradually she'd won him over though. His dad married her and they were happy. It wasn't long before Mizuki showed up. His step mom and dad had almost given up on having children. Mizuki had been such a big surprise. Shizuki had loved her from the moment he met her in the hospital. Shizuki had loved, protected, and doted on her since that moment at the hospital. California was his past and present. Was it in his future too?

He glanced over at Umeda, who caught his eye and smiled. Shizuki smiled back warmly. No worrying about that crap, he reprimanded himself. He'd come home for a chance to forget for a little while. It was de-stress time for him. The future could wait for two weeks.

"It's beautiful here," Umeda remarked.

"Yeah, I love it." Shizuki replied, gazing at the scenery ahead of him. He hoped nothing would ever change around Berkeley. "Welcome to my hometown." Shizuki announced to both Umedas as they finally drove into Berkeley. "We'll be at the house soon."

Umeda took in every detail of the Ashiya house as they pulled into the driveway. The house was a big American country style home. It had a large front porch with a sign out front reading proudly 'Ashiya Animal Hospital.' The windows were big and open to let in the warm breeze. There was a bay window where he assumed the living room must be. There were at least two dormer windows that he could see. He wondered if those were the bedrooms. The house, though big, looked pleasant and welcoming. It was like something out of a stereotypical American dream. He liked it a lot. He could easily picture Shizuki growing up here. He glanced over to see his boyfriend smiling happily as he turned off the car. His blue eyes took in the house with deep fondness. Umeda could tell he was more than happy to be home. They all got out of the car and walked up the sidewalk to the porch. The front door opened before Shizuki even crossed the porch. Mrs. Ashiya was out the door and to her son in what seemed like half a second.

"Mom," Shizuki smiled warmly as his mother pulled him into a hug.

Umeda watched, feeling a bit uncomfortable. It was so different then how he greeted his parents. He could already sense how close this family was how. How deeply they felt for each other. He knew his family loved him and he loved his family, but they just didn't express it like this. It was kinda weird to him. He didn't have time to contemplate on it any longer though. He heard a man shout and saw a white ball of fluff come flying at him. He reached down and caught the little white dog by the nap of its neck with reflexes that might have put a cat to shame. He raised the dog up to eye level and glared at it with open distaste. The dog probably didn't weigh anymore than 5 pounds. Its white coat was soft and thick. To anyone else, the dog might have been cute. Umeda just really didn't like dogs. The white fur ball whined pathetically, tucking its tail between its legs, as it looked into his piercing amber eyes.

"Oh thank you so much for catching him! He's always trying to get out!" an older man that was clearly Shizuki's father exclaimed with a big smile. Umeda studied the other man for a moment. He could see where Shizuki got some of his distinct features from. The man held out his arms. The doctor dropped the dog into his waiting grasp. The man smoothed down the dog's coat before looking up to ask distractedly. "And who are you?"

"Dad!" Shizuki groaned in embarrassment.

Umeda was unperturbed. "Hokuto Umeda," the doctor supplied easily, brushing dog hair off his hands.

"Umeda…oh!" Mr. Ashiya stared in shock. He scrutinized the doctor thoroughly. The man was much more beautiful in person than the picture had implied that Mizuki had shown him. His hair was an unusual shade of mahogany for a Japanese man. His eyes were the color of dark honey or amber. Those eyes seemed to be looking right through him. He felt like he was being dissected. In fact, he had the disturbing feeling of being intimidated by a man that was probably half his age. Mr. Ashiya couldn't see why Shizuki might like him. He was a strange character.

"Hi Dad," Shizuki said diverting the attention away from Umeda for a moment.

"Hello, son," Mr. Ashiya smiled again in relief. He was only to happy to have a reason to look away from the other man. He pulled his son in a bear hug. "It's good to have you back. I hope you all had a good drive back from the city."

"So the emergency was Sandy again?" Shizuki asked with a chuckle.

Mr. Ashiya shrugged and grinned. "He got into the medicine cabinet and swallowed a bunch of pills."

"Oh, sensei!" Mizuki ended the awkward moment Umeda was feeling from watching as she and the girls walked up. She seemed oblivious to the tension radiating off him.

"I'm not your sensei anymore," Umeda reminded her gently. He was more than thankful to have a reason to look away from the little scene of the happy family in front of him. He felt incredibly out of place.

"Oh, right. Umeda-san?" She looked confused.

The doctor rolled his eyes and mussed her hair affectionately. "Just call me Umeda."

"Ok. I meant to ask you how Sano was. I heard he was injured! Is he ok? What about Nakatsu? How's his soccer-?" Mizuki started to get worked up.

"Mizuki," Shizuki interrupted her. "He hasn't been properly introduced and neither has Rio. There's gonna be plenty of time to talk later."

"Sorry," she smiled sheepishly.

"Mom, Dad—this is Hokuto Umeda, my boyfriend." Shizuki walked over to the doctor to stand beside him. "And his sister, Rio Umeda." She waved from where she was standing beside Mizuki now.

Umeda glanced over at him with a mildly surprised, but mostly pleased look. He knew he had made the blond promise, but it was the first time he'd been introduced that way. It felt good. Really good. Shizuki shuffled his feet awkwardly at the expression on his face.

"It's nice to meet you. Mizuki's told us a lot about the both of you. We're very happy to have you here," Mrs. Ashiya pulled Umeda into a hug. Umeda blinked bemusement before self-consciously hugging her back. He stepped back quickly. She walked over to give Rio a hug too.

Mr. Ashiya reached out and shook his hand. "Glad to meet you, Umeda. I've wanted to meet the guy who turned my son's world upside down. It takes a lot to do that to him."

"Dad," Shizuki looked embarrassed again.

Umeda smirked as he shook the man's hand. "It's nice to meet you. And it's not that hard actually."

Shizuki glared at him. Umeda shrugged innocently as his smirk grew wider. Mr. Ashiya watched the interaction between them with an odd look.

"Come on in. I'm sure you all are tired and hungry. I have dinner ready," Mrs. Ashiya led them all inside. "You all can leave your bags in the hall. We'll worry about them after we eat. Come in and sit down."

They walked through the living room to the dining room. Mrs. Ashiya arranged them all around the table and made sure they were all seated before she disappeared into the kitchen to get the food. Umeda looked around him, taking it all in. The bay window was in the living room like he thought. All the furniture looked cozy and befitting of the country style of the home. The colors were all soft and pastel lending everything a more peaceful air. He definitely liked the feel of this place much better than his own childhood home.

"She's been planning this all day. She's been so excited to have you both here," Mr. Ashiya smiled warmly. His wife had been nervous to, but he couldn't blame her. So was he. He was doing his best to be his normal cheerful self, but he didn't know quite how to act around this other man. He wasn't like Mizuki's friends from school. They had only been teenagers. They had been friendly and kind. Umeda made him feel uncomfortable. Maybe, all of that was due to his relationship to Shizuki. A relationship Mr. Ashiya was still having a hard time dealing with.

"She sounds like my mother," Umeda remarked wryly.

Rio snickered, remembering the last dinner he was over for. He scowled at her. She went back to talking to Julia and Mizuki.

"My wife's a great cook. She's really out done herself this time," Mr. Ashiya praised as Mrs. Ashiya came back in carrying two big bowls of food. She blushed at her husband's words, shushing him good naturedly as she set down the bowls. Mizuki jumped up to run into the kitchen to carry out another bowl and a bread basket. There was a few moments of mostly quiet as the food was passed around, broken only by someone asking for something. There was silence as they all began to eat.

"So how was your flight?" Mrs. Ashiya asked them.

"Long, but alright," Shizuki replied.

"The in flight movie left something to be desired," Umeda remarked with an amused smile.

Rio snorted. "You two acting lovey dovey didn't help my air sickness any."

"That's what they have throw up bags for," Umeda shot back at her.

She made a face at him. Mizuki, Julia, and Mrs. Ashiya giggled. Shizuki just shook his head and continued eating.

"I bet that would have been funny to see," Julia put in. "I've seen Shizuki acting lovey dovey before. It's kinda nauseating."

The blond rolled his eyes. "Thanks, Julia."

Mizuki and Mrs. Ashiya laughed at her brother's irritated expression. Both smothered their laughs when Shizuki mock glared at them. He prayed no one would get onto the subject of Alisha. He was secretly thankful when his dad switched subjects.

"Is it your first time to the states for the both of you?" Mr. Ashiya asked curiously.

Umeda paused between bites to answer. "No. I visited New York City once between high school and college. I wanted to explore the world a little before I got bogged down in more schooling. I visited Orlando, Florida after college. That's been it though."

"It's my first time in the USA," Rio replied. "It's very pretty here."

"Wait until we show you around," Mizuki smiled excitedly.

"And take you out shopping," Mrs. Ashiya smiled vibrantly.

Julia and Rio looked thrilled at that prospect. Umeda looked like he wanted to crawl under the table and hide. Shizuki snickered behind his hand. Mr. Ashiya tried to hide his own amused smile. Maybe Umeda wasn't so bad.

"So, Umeda, how is Sano?" Mizuki finally couldn't stand it anymore. She had to know. Everyone else at the table shook their heads or gave her knowing smiles. She flushed and shrugged.

Umeda looked over at her with an affectionate expression. Really, she never changed. It was always about Sano. "He's fine. He had a minor sprain. It should be healed by now if the foolish boy listened to what I told him to do. And Nakatsu's fine too. In fact, he got a soccer scholarship to the college he applied for. He's doing very well. So is everyone else." He answered all her questions before she could even ask them.

She laughed. "Guess you know me to well."

"I only looked after you for a year and a half." He smirked. "A lamb amongst wolves."

Both the parents looked at him in confusion. Mr. Ashiya had a suspicious look. Umeda glanced over at Shizuki and Mizuki with a raised eyebrow. Both grinned with identical nervous smiles. Umeda sighed as he caught on to their dilemma. The parents didn't know about Osaka.

"What do you mean by that?" Mr. Ashiya asked apprehensively.

Umeda shrugged calmly. "She was just very innocent when she came to study in Japan. It was a bit of culture shock. I took care of her when she needed help. I even introduced her to my sister, because I figured they'd be good friends." He lied so smoothly that the two parents looked instantly relieved.

"We had such a good time together. Especially when Julia came over too. We all ended up getting to hang out on our school field trips," Rio put in with a big smile.

Mizuki and Shizuki let the tension ease out of their shoulders. Both smiled in thankful relief as the Umedas covered up for them. Shizuki eyed his sister with an irritated look. She shrugged. She knew eventually that she had been studying at a guys' school was going to get out to her parents. One of these days she was gonna have to come clean about it. Everyone was getting tired of lying for her.

The rest of the dinner went smoothly. Talk continued more easily as Shizuki's parents began to feel more comfortable with their guests. Mr. Ashiya still seemed somewhat leery of Umeda, but Shizuki couldn't fault him for that. The girls helped Mrs. Ashiya clean up as the guys carried the girls' luggage upstairs. Julia was staying over too for a few days during Rio's visit. Mr. Ashiya held Shizuki back for a moment as Umeda walked back downstairs to grab his stuff.

"I thought we could put Umeda in the spare room," Mr. Ashiya said quietly.

Shizuki frowned. "Dad, he's staying with me. My bed's more than big enough. Give Rio and Julia the spare room."

"I thought he'd be more comfortable in there."

"You mean you'd feel more comfortable." Shizuki remarked.

Mr. Ashiya scowled and shifted his feet. "I just feel..."

"I get it, Dad. I do. But we're not gonna do anything. You let Alisha stay with me when she visited." Shizuki pointed out.

"That was different."

"I know, but the same principle. He's important to me, Dad. Just like she was. I want him with me," Shizuki said gently.

Mr. Ashiya sighed. He didn't want to argue with his son. "Fine. Rio and Julia can have the spare room if they want it."

"Thanks, Dad. Just give him a chance and some time to get to know him," Shizuki reached out to grip his dad's shoulder for a moment.

"Ok," his dad murmured.

/

Everyone had finally settled into their respective rooms for the night. Shizuki and Umeda had fallen asleep almost as soon as they'd lain down and gotten comfortable. They slept tangled up in each other in Shizuki's queen size bed. Julia and Rio were asleep in the spare room. Rio slept in the day bed. Julia slept in the spare mattress that had been pulled out from underneath it. Both girls had been to tired to stay up and chat with Mizuki any longer. There would be plenty of time for girl chats tomorrow. Mizuki slept sprawled in her own bed. She always had been a messy sleeper. Mr. and Mrs. Ashiya finally climbed into their own bed after checking that everyone was tucked away in their beds. A leftover habit from when the kids were younger. Shizuki and Mizuki still left their doors open a crack for them out of ingrained routine.

Mr. Ashiya had stood in Shizuki's doorway longer than he meant to when he'd passed by. Seeing the two men sleeping together had finally made the reality of their relationship hit him. They looked happy and peaceful. He felt sorrow steal over him. His son felt like he had grown out of his reach. He felt like this Umeda had stolen him away. It was foolish to think that, but his heart still hurt to see them laying in each other's arms. He jumped a little when his wife touched his arm. She smiled at him in understanding. She glanced into the room. Her expression softened warmly. Mr. Ashiya sighed softly before walking down the hall to their room.

They laid together in bed now in silence after Mrs. Ashiya clicked off the light.

"I don't know what to think of him." Mr. Ashiya admitted quietly.

"That's ok, sweetheart. It takes more than a few hours to make up your mind about someone," she reassured him.

"I just feel weird about this whole thing."

"I know," she rubbed his arm soothingly. "But trust Shizuki. We raised him right."

"I trust our son. It's Umeda I don't. I don't know him at all. That look he has is unnerving. I feel like he can see right through me," Mr. Ashiya shivered.

She chuckled. "Well, I think his eyes are beautiful. And he seems kind and mature. Mizuki and Shizuki think the world of him."

"Yeah."

"His sister Rio seems like a sweet girl. Both took good care of Mizuki while she was in Japan. Umeda looked after Shizuki too while he was interning there. They both seem like good people. Give Umeda a chance," she kissed him on the cheek.

"Right," he murmured. "That's what Shizuki told me."

"Then try, sweetheart. I love you," she whispered, giving him another kiss.

"I love you too. Good night," he smiled and kissed her back. He felt a little better after confessing his worries.

"Good night. Tomorrow will be a good day." She sounded so sure of that. Mr. Ashiya hoped she was right.


	4. Chapter 4

Umeda shifted irritably as the sounds of pots rattling and voices talking pulled him out of a pleasant dream. He blinked a few times to clear his blurred vision. He found himself looking up at an unfamiliar ceiling. Sunlight streaked across the white paint from the slants in the window blinds. The pictures on the wall weren't his. The furniture was all wrong. For a few seconds, he was completely disoriented. Where the hell was he? None of this stuff was his. Then he remembered. He was in Shizuki's childhood home. He felt a little silly at his momentary freak out. He rolled his head to the side to see Shizuki curled up on his side facing away from him. He rolled to snuggle up against his lover's back. Even if he was some place different, he still had Shizuki with him. That made him happy. He nuzzled the blond's neck and smiled when Shizuki grumbled sleepily. A playful smirk stole across his face as he leaned forward to nip the blond's ear. He was rewarded when Shizuki jerked awake with a gasp.

"Ungh," he groaned, swatting tiredly at Umeda when the doctor nipped at his neck. "Must you wake me like that almost every morning?"

"Yes," Umeda pressed his hard on against Shizuki's ass. "Because then I get sex almost every morning. I love starting my day with an orgasm."

"Horny bastard," the blond muttered.

"Uh huh. So are you," Umeda palmed his lover's morning wood.

Shizuki moaned in frustration. He caught Umeda's wrist before the man could do anything else. "We can't. I promised my dad we wouldn't do anything in the house. You heard me. I know you were standing at the bottom of the stairs."

"I heard, but there's no way you can keep that promise."

Shizuki huffed out a laugh. "The door's open," he reminded the doctor.

"Only a little," Umeda squeezed Shizuki's dick.

The blond cursed, his fingers tightening on Umeda's wrist. "You're not gonna take no for an answer, are you?"

"Nope."

"Fine, but only a hand job this morning. And you better be quiet," Shizuki warned him with a smirk.

"Same to you," Umeda chuckled as Shizuki rolled over.

The doctor had his hand down the blond's pants before Shizuki had rolled all the way over. Umeda smiled as Shizuki growled and his cock twitched in the doctor's palm. Shizuki slipped his leg between Umeda's and fitted their hips together so their bodies were only a few inches apart. The blond reached down under the covers to pull Umeda's cock from his pajama pants. The doctor returned the favor for the blond. Their bare dicks slid together making them both gasp softly in appreciation. They wrapped their hands around both cocks and began to stroke slowly. Shizuki buried his face in Umeda's shoulder as their hands sped up the pace. The doctor kissed and nipped at the blond's shoulder, enjoying his lover's taste almost as much as the motion of their hands. Pretty soon both of their hips were trembling with impending orgasm. Fuck, it felt so good. So damn good. Precum leaked faster, smoothing their motions and making a wet slippery sound that was so wonderfully erotic. Shizuki came first with a barely contained moan of ecstasy. He bit down on Umeda's shoulder to muffle the sound as his body shook with release. Umeda came right then. He always did love a little pain with his pleasure. It made his nerves sizzle pleasantly with mixed signals. He groaned low in his throat as cum splattered over his fingers and chest. They both sagged against each other in sated relief as they last of their orgasms chased through their bodies.

"Mmmmm," Umeda hummed as his body tingled satisfyingly.

"Mmmmm," Shizuki hummed back in agreement.

"Shizuki?" Mizuki's voice startled them out of their post-orgasmic bliss. She knocked on the door tentatively.

"We're awake. Tell mom we'll be down for breakfast in a few minutes." Shizuki answered, slightly irked sounding. Probably because he was afraid his sister would open the door. He was pretty sure she had more sense than that though.

"Alright. We're having pancakes," Her footsteps faded away down the hall.

Umeda sat up and reached for the box of tissues. "At least she didn't interrupt us any earlier. I might have had to hurt her."

Shizuki chuckled as he took the tissues his lover offered to wipe himself off. "Yeah, you're hateful before you've had coffee or you're first orgasm of the day." He adjusted his pants before getting up. He pulled on his t-shirt from the day before and tossed one of his other shirts at Umeda. The doctor slipped it on after he sniffed it to make sure it was clean. Shizuki rolled his eyes in annoyance. They both trooped out of the room and down the steps the dining room. The girls were already up, dressed, and eating breakfast when they walked into the room. Mr. Ashiya's plate was already scraped clean. He had his face buried in the newspaper.

"Good morning," Shizuki greeted all of them. Umeda headed straight for the coffee pot sitting on the table. The need for caffeine over shadowed anything else.

"Good morning, son." Mr. Ashiya glanced up from his paper with a smile. He shifted his eyes over to the other man who was entirely focused on getting his first cup of coffee before anyone tried to talk to him.

"Good morning, Shizuki and Umeda. You both look refreshed," Mrs. Ashiya said cheerfully, eyeing their flushed cheeks and still relaxed attitudes.

Umeda coughed to cover his laugh as he cradled his mug of coffee to his chest. Shizuki tried not to blush guiltily. "Yeah, we slept well," the blond answered.

"Very well," Umeda muttered, avoiding Shizuki's attempt to stomp on his foot. "What time is it?" he asked, taking a gulp of coffee. He tipped his head back in delight at the taste of the wonderful coffee. French vanilla flavor…

"It's like 9:30," Rio shook her head. "Lazy ass."

"Jet lag," her brother snapped at her.

Rio snorted. "I'm sure."

The two scowled at each other. Mr. Ashiya eyed the two siblings with slight concern.

"Relax, Dad, they do this all the time at home too," Shizuki whispered to his father. Mr. Ashiya nodded and went back to reading the newspaper.

"So, Shizuki, do you have any plans while Hokuto is here?" Mrs. Ashiya asked, setting a plate of pancakes in front of each young man.

The blond looked up from his plate. "I was planning on showing him around Berkeley. I wanted to make a trip out to the hospital too. Other than that I was gonna take him to meet my friends. I figured I could start doing all that tomorrow. Today, I just wanted to relax and recover from jetlag."

"Sounds like a good idea," his mother smiled at him as she passed the syrup. "Maybe you guys can help out around the house if you get bored."

Shizuki sighed. He knew that was her way of saying 'you are helping' not maybe. "Sure, Mom. What needs doing?"

"Well, the lawn could use mowing and the garden needs weeding. Some of the dogs in the overnight kennels need walked," she began to name off a list of chores.

"Let the girls walk the dogs. We'll do the yard work." The blond replied evenly.

"Umeda doesn't like dogs?" Mr. Ashiya glanced up from his paper, frowning.

Umeda shrugged as he gulped down more coffee. "No. Not really. Not much of an animal person to be honest."

Mr. Ashiya blinked then gazed over at his son. His expression was pure bafflement of why he'd ever bring someone home that didn't even like animals. It was almost blasphemous. He knew there was something that didn't sit right about Umeda.

Shizuki sighed at his dad's expression.

"Oh, Gilbert is coming over to visit tonight!" Mizuki broke the tension. She was apparently developing a knack for doing that. "I didn't tell him you were coming back, Shizuki. I wanted to surprise him."

"I'm sure he'll appreciate that. It'll be good to see him though. His therapy should have all been done by now right?"

"Yeah, he's doing great." Mizuki grinned happily.

"Good." Shizuki replied with an answering smile. He finished his pancakes before carrying his plate into the kitchen. He kissed his mother on the cheek. "We'll start the chores as soon as Umeda's done eating."

"Alright, sweetheart. Can you sweep off the porch too?" She asked after giving him a return kiss.

Shizuki chuckled and shook his head. "Yeah, Mom."

/

The rest of the morning and afternoon was spent on yard work and other various chores. Umeda hadn't exactly been thrilled about it, but it turned out not to be so bad. He swept the porch while Shizuki mowed the lawn. They spent a few hours out back in the garden, weeding, trimming and planting flowers. It ended up turning into a dirt fight when Umeda said something uncouth and Shizuki had answered by clobbering him with a big clot of dirt. It turned quickly into an all out war when Umeda dived for the garden hose. Shizuki tackled him a moment later. They struggled, rolled, cursed, and wrestled for control of the garden hose. It didn't really matter who got it in the end. By the time, they stopped and called a truce they were both drenched and muddy. Shizuki was laughing hysterically, because Umeda looked like a raccoon with a dirt mask across his face. Umeda retaliated by sticking the hose down the back of his pants. The war started all over again. Shizuki managed to pin his boyfriend down and wrest the hose from his grip. Umeda retaliated by grabbing the back of his head and pulling him down into a biting kiss.

The girls came back from walking the dogs to find two grown men kissing in the garden, looking like they'd been playing touch football in the rain instead of gardening. The two lovers were to busy laughing when they broke apart to notice their incredulous faces. There were clots of dirt and weeds all over the place. Half the yard had been drenched. It was amazing the garden had survived at all. Mrs. Ashiya came out onto the back porch to shake her head and laugh at them too.

"Clean up those weeds! Then come in and take a shower." She ordered with a smile. "Gilbert just called and said he was on his way over."

/

Gilbert arrived 20 minutes later while the two men were still showering and changing. Mizuki raced to the front door to meet him.

"Hi Gil!" She smiled, giving him a brief hug. "Come in!"

"Hi, Mizuki. You look really excited today. What's up?" He chuckled after she let go of him.

"We have friends visiting. Come on I want you to meet one of them." She led him into the living room where Julia and Rio were sitting, drinking iced tea. "Would you like any tea?" She asked before she introduced Rio.

"Sure, thanks, Mizuki," Gilbert replied with a warm smile.

"Hi, Gilbert!" Julia waved at him.

He glanced away long enough to wave back. "Hey, Julia." He didn't really look at the other girl. He was more intent on Mizuki. She picked up a glass and pressed it into his hand. Gilbert swallowed at the feel of the girl's skin against his own. Logically, he knew that she was in love with someone else. Mentally and physically he still wanted her. He wondered if she had any idea at all at how devastating her presence was to him sometimes. He doubted it.

"Rio, this is Gilbert. He's one of my best friends," Mizuki grinned as she introduced the blond.

Gilbert looked away from Mizuki finally. He paused for a second as he really looked at the other girl for the first time. She had bright liquor brown eyes, long chestnut hair that shimmered in the sun, and a curvy little figure that had him swallowing hard. Damn, she was cute. He smiled, walked over, and extended his hand quickly, realizing he'd been staring to long. "Hi, Rio. It's good to meet you."

"Hello," she shook his hand with a shy smile. She felt her cheeks flush as he continued to stare. Normally his kind of reaction didn't bother her. She was used to being stared at like that. All the guys her age always did this and whispered about how cute she was. She'd been asked out so many times that she could have had her own harem by now. But this guy wasn't just another dumb school boy. No, this was an extremely hot American college guy. His emerald green eyes were hypnotizing in a way not even her older brother and Dad could have pulled off. His corn yellow hair seemed to glow in the sunlight. He was well built and trim with long legs. For the first time in her life she felt incredibly bashful in front of a guy.

"Rio went to my sister school over in Japan," Mizuki was telling Gilbert, oblivious of the stares being exchanged between her two friends that spoke of instant attraction.

"How'd you two meet?" Gilbert asked, forcing himself to focus on what Mizuki was saying. That was the first time he'd ever had to make himself pay attention to her.

"Her brother is the school doctor for Osaka High School. She let me borrow her clothes when I needed to dress like a girl." Mizuki chuckled a little with discomfiture.

"And her family was my host family when I was an exchange student in Japan. I went to St. Blossom high school with her for a month. We had a great time." Julia told him with a grin. She noticed the sparks flying between Gilbert and Rio. To her, it was amusing. Rio had never placed much concern in boys, because they annoyed her. Apparently, Gilbert was just different enough to interest her.

"So you're here to visit Mizuki and Julia?" Gilbert asked to clarify.

"Yes, and actually the only reason I'm getting to visit Mizuki over the summer is because her parents wanted to meet my brother and I begged him to take me with him," Rio put in, needing to say something so she wouldn't seem like a silly girl.

"Why do they want to meet your brother?" Gilbert asked in confusion before taking a sip of tea.

"Because he's Shizuki's boyfriend," Rio answered frankly.

Gilbert nearly spit out his tea. "What the hell did you just say?!"

Rio blinked at him in surprise and looked over at Mizuki for help. Mizuki laughed nervously, scratching the back of her head.

"Shizuki's dating a GUY!? Shizuki's here!" Gilbert looked between the all of them for answers.

"I didn't want to tell you Shizuki was back home. It was supposed to be a surprise," Mizuki shrugged and grinned sheepishly.

"Yeah, and he is dating Rio's brother, Hokuto Umeda. He's smokin' hot too." Julia confirmed what had been said.

"Ew, Julia," Rio made a face.

Julia smirked. "Like you didn't know he was."

"But…how?" Gilbert was still baffled.

Mizuki laughed at his befuddle expression. "Don't worry, Gilbert. My family's still getting used to the idea too."

"Unreal," the boy shook his head. "He used to get a rash and everything just being around a gay guy."

"Yeah, it was funny," Julia snickered.

Gilbert rolled his eyes at her. "You must have one amazing brother," the boy said to Rio.

"I guess. Mostly, he's just weird." Rio replied with a shrug.

"I gotta meet this guy. What the hell did he do to make Shizuki turn gay? I didn't think anyone could do that to him," the blond was amazed.

"Hokuto harassed him—relentlessly. Io and I helped," Rio answered honestly with an innocent smile.

"What?" Julia and Mizuki looked at her in shock.

Rio clasped her hands, maintaining her guiltless expression. "Shizuki didn't tell you about the Umeda Christmas party?"

"No!" Both girls cried. Gilbert just looked between all three of them, a little scared to get in the middle.

Rio opened her phone and flipped through her pictures until she found the one she was searching for. She turned her phone around so all three of them could see her picture. Their jaws dropped open in complete astonishment. Umeda and Shizuki were wrapped up in passionate kiss under a sprig of mistletoe.

"That was before they'd admit they liked each other. Io, my mom, and I all decided they needed a little help accepting the attraction between the two of them. So we tricked them into getting caught under the mistletoe. It was really sweet. They totally forgot we were even there for a minute," Rio explained with smug satisfaction.

"Holy crap," Gilbert gapped.

"Why didn't you send this to me? It's awesome!" Julia demanded. Mizuki smacked her arm.

"I didn't think they'd appreciate me sending that around before they were officially together," the other girl explained.

"Unbelievable. Girls are so conniving," Gilbert shook his head.

"I'll say. I was hoping that damn picture got deleted," Shizuki groaned from the living room doorway.

"Hi, Shizu." Gilbert looked up and smiled. He got up to walk over and shake the other blond's hand. "I heard you're a fully certified doctor now. Congratulations."

"Thanks. It's great to see you, Gil. I heard you're therapy is finished." Shizuki replied, returning the friendly handshake.

Gilbert nodded. "Yeah, finally. It's awesome to finally feel like I can really live without fear of that disease anymore. I really owe you a lot for helping me get into that hospital."

"No you don't. I'm just glad you're well. You deserve it. Besides, you're practically part of the family," Shizuki said warmly.

"Thanks."

"How have you're studies been going over at U.C. Berkeley?" Shizuki asked.

"Great. Passing all of my classes with flying colors so far. I've made some good friends over there too." Gilbert replied proudly.

"Just don't let them talk you into drinking the day before a test. It never turns out well." He laughed as he sat down in a chair across from the couch.

Gilbert sat down in the other chair, not realizing how close he'd sat to Rio until he was already there. He glanced over to see her watching him. He smiled a little self consciously. She smiled back automatically and looked away quickly. He made himself return to the conversation that was flowing pleasantly between everyone now. Shizuki got up when another man came walking down the steps. Gilbert watched out of the corner of his eye, not wanting to appear nosy. The first thing he noticed was the guy had the same color hair as Rio. The eyes were lighter shade as well—more honey colored then liquor. They were bright and deep, a little entrancing. The guy was really good looking like Julia had said.

"That's your brother?" Gilbert asked Rio in surprise.

"Yeah." She sighed like any younger sibling that found their brother slightly exasperating.

Gilbert watched the two guys smile softly at each other in a way he'd seen many couples do who were obviously completely wrapped up in each other. A moment later, the two exchanged a brief, heated kiss. "He's got some intense eyes." He remarked almost to himself.

"Don't worry. He doesn't eat people's souls. He just likes to make people nervous. He's really a big puss." Rio said casually.

Gilbert looked over at her in surprise. "You sure are blunt."

"Oh…sorry." She looked abashed.

"No, it's kinda refreshing," he grinned.

"Um, thanks. I guess."

"No problem."

Shizuki led Umeda over. "Umeda, this is Gilbert. A very close friend of the family."

"Nice to meet you, Umeda," Gilbert stuck out his hand.

Umeda shook it politely as he glanced at his sister then back at the blond haired boy. "Same."

"So, I gotta say I'm impressed you managed to rope in Shizuki. He could be a real tight ass…," Gilbert trailed off, realizing what he'd just said to late.

"Gilbert!" Mizuki gasped, her face turning red.

Rio and Julia started to giggle hysterically. Gilbert glared over at them in humiliation.

Umeda laughed much to the boy's surprise. "I would know best of all." The doctor's eyes glinted mischievously. Gilbert's face turned completely red too at the comment.

"Ew, brother!" Rio gasped.

Shizuki elbowed his boyfriend in the side. "You are such a pervert."

Julia got up to sit in the chair that Shizuki had vacated so the two men could sit together on the couch. Gilbert was grateful the conversation after that returned back to safe, normal talk. He and Shizuki talked about U.C. Berkeley, telling the Umedas all about the school and its beautiful campus. Both Umedas seemed incredibly interested to go see it. Before Gilbert realized it he'd offered to show Rio around. Shizuki had suggested they all go as a group. They could explore the U.C. Botanical gardens together. Shizuki wanted to take Umeda up to see the sunset over the San Francisco bay up on the Berkeley Hills near the hall of science. Full blown plans were soon being made much to Gilbert's surprise.

"I can't do it tomorrow," Gilbert said. "I have classes. I can do it Saturday."

"That's perfect. I had plans for tomorrow anyways," Shizuki replied, pleased that they'd worked out a day they could all go.

"What plans?" Umeda asked curiously.

Shizuki grinned. "You'll see."

"Well, I gotta go. I promised my buddy, Mack, that'd I come over. It was great to meet you, Rio and Umeda," Gilbert stood up to shake both of their hands again.

"Thanks for stopping by, Gilbert," Mizuki smiled happily.

"We'll see you Saturday," Shizuki waved as Mizuki walked the other blond to the door.

"Alright. See you guys there." Gilbert waved before stepping out. He was really looking forward to Saturday now. He was very interested in getting to know more about Rio. It was so weird how she'd somehow taken his attention of Mizuki. He didn't think any girl would ever be able to do that. She was so cute though. He liked how she wasn't afraid to speak up too. He liked girls who could hold their own. He was looking forward to spending time with here. Saturday couldn't come soon enough.

/

Dinner passed by without incident. There was joking about the disaster the two guys had created out of the lawn instead of fixing it. They'd taken it good naturedly. There was more talk of tentative plans about other places Shizuki wanted to visit. The girls would be going out to the mall tomorrow to start their buying extravaganza they had promised Rio. That dominated the conversation for a while. All the men grimaced at having to listen to their excited chatter about shoes, clothes, and whatever else they wanted to look at. Mr. Ashiya talked to Umeda a little more about his job, which went over rather well. Maybe the doctor didn't like pets, but he seemed to care about the teenagers he watched over.

After dinner, Umeda slipped out to the back porch for a much needed cigarette. The girls all helped clear the table before disappearing upstairs. Shizuki stayed in the kitchen to help dry dishes as his mother washed them. For a few moments, there was a calm silence. It was comfortable.

"Sweetheart, is there something that you're not telling us?" his mom asked gently out of the blue.

Shizuki froze like he'd caught with his hand in the cookie jar. "Uh…no." What exactly was she referring to? There were to many things wasn't telling his parents. He wondered which one she was trying to get him to own up to. He kept his mouth shut waiting for her to go on. He didn't want to say anything to incriminate himself further.

"Uh huh." His mom said skeptically. "Your father has been worried about where you've been staying over in Japan since you went back. Every time your dad asks about where you're living you get vague." His mom pointed out with a knowing smile. "You can tell me, darling."

"It's just…I didn't want to tell dad this. He's been having a hard time with it all as it is. He puts up a good front but I know it's still bugging him." Shizuki paused before confessing. "I've been living with Umeda since I went back to Japan."

"Ah, I see. And you figured you're dad would take it badly so soon after everything."

"Exactly."

"I understand, Shizu. But you can't keep lying to your father. I'm not gonna tell him and make it easier for you. You're an adult now in a mature relationship. You're father deserves to know the truth about you." She said seriously.

Shizuki nodded and sighed. "How do I tell him though? I keep waiting for the right moment."

"Darling, there's never a right moment for this sort of thing. You have to just say it. I think your dad will be a lot more accepting than you think. Especially after meeting the boyfriend in question."

"Mom, can I ask you how dad's really been about this?" Shizuki asked worriedly.

She smiled sadly. "Well, for the most part he's ok. Every now and then he'll say he hopes it's just a phase. He knows it's not, but still. The shock's worn off and I think he's starting to get it. He's concerned about you though."

"Thanks, Mom. I promise I'll tell him." Shizuki hugged her.

"Ok. Why don't you go talk to you boyfriend. He looks lonely." She nodded her head towards the window.

Shizuki looked over her shoulder to see Umeda sitting out on the back porch railing staring out at the sunset. He glanced down at his mother with a smile. "I love you, Mom."

"I love you too, Shizu." She squeezed him for a moment before letting go.

He stepped away and walked out the backdoor onto the porch. He stood in the doorway for a minute just looking at Umeda. The doctor had a cigarette dangling between his fingers. He had one foot propped up on the railing in front of him and the other leg hanging down. His left arm was propped up on his knee comfortably. Shizuki thought the doctor looked pensive as he stared out at the woods with the sun disappearing behind them. The door creaked shut behind Shizuki as he began to walk across the porch. Umeda swung his head around and smiled when he saw the blond.

"Hey," Shizuki greeted with a smile.

"Hey."

Shizuki leaned against the rail next to Umeda's leg. He reached out to rub his hand down the doctor's thigh. He glanced at the cigarette in Umeda's fingers with slight longing. He wasn't a heavy smoker, but seeing someone else smoking always made him want one. He glanced back up into Umeda's face to see his lover watching him with a contented look. "What?"

"Just not used to you touching me so easily in public." Umeda replied, taking another drag from his cigarette. "You've been doing it more openly since you got here."

Shizuki blushed slightly. "Well, the Japanese are so uptight about PDA. It's nice to be somewhere that it doesn't really matter so much."

"True," Umeda agreed. He reached out to twine his fingers through Shizuki's. "I like it here. It's pretty and peaceful."

"Do you like my family?" Shizuki asked anxiously.

"Yes," the doctor answered honestly. "You're all very close."

"I think they like you. I mean I know Mizuki does. She's a given. But my parents…I think they are warming to you."

"I hope so. I'm not letting you go."

Shizuki smiled crookedly. "Oh no?"

"No. I love you," Umeda pulled Shizuki down into a steamy kiss. He sighed when the blond's hand slipped under his shirt and palmed his hip.

"I love you," Shizuki whispered against his lover's lips. "I won't go anywhere."

"Good." Umeda pulled him in for another kiss.

/

"I was worried about Shizuki," Eiko admitted as she finished washing the dishes. Her husband had come into the kitchen after checking on all his animal patients one last time for the night.

Takumi nodded. "Me too. I was afraid he was losing his mind. Or that he was over stressed. Or that Umeda tricked him."

"Well, I always knew he wasn't really happy with all those girls he dated. There was something missing in him when he was with them."

"How'd you know that?" Takumi looked over at her in surprise after putting the plates into the cupboard.

"I could sense it."

"What was missing?"

"Passion." She smiled.

He frowned lightly when he realized she was right. "So how do you feel about Umeda now?"

She looked out of the window with a warm smile to watch the two young men kissing for a moment. "I think he really loves, Shizuki."

"I was worried he might not be serious." He confessed quietly.

"Oh, I don't think you have to be concerned about that. It sounds like he went through a lot to win Shizuki's heart. It would be our son's seriousness I'd be worried about if I didn't know better."

"What do you mean?"

She gestured out the window. Mr. Ashiya walked over to look out and paused when he saw them. He watched for only a moment before turning away quickly. "He never looked like that with Alisha."

"No, he didn't. I think he's finally found his true love." Mrs. Ashiya's expression softened.

"No grandchildren from him," Mr. Ashiya joked sadly.

"We still have Mizuki for that," she laughed. "I'm happy for him. He's finally being true to himself. That's what's important, dear."

Takumi kissed her gently. "You're right. As always." He squeezed her waist as he glanced out the window to watch his son lean his forehead against Umeda's. He still wasn't quite comfortable with the amber eyed man yet. He felt he could get to like him though. He was making progress. Maybe before they left to go back to Japan, he'd be able to come to terms with all of it. One day at a time, he knew his wife would say if he voiced his thoughts.

"Didn't I say today would be a great day?" His wife smiled up at him.

"You did," he replied kissing her again.


	5. Chapter 5

Umeda had stumbled down the stairs by himself that morning. Shizuki was just finishing up with his shower. He gotten out of the shower after they had jerked each other off again. He'd already washed everything by the time Shizuki had climbed into the shower with him. A handjob wasn't what Umeda really wanted, but it was good enough for the time being. All Umeda wanted now was his morning cup of coffee. He somehow made it to the dining room where Mrs. Ashiya and the girls were already eating breakfast. He glanced around the table for a second. Mr. Ashiya must have already gone into the veterinary office for the day. Umeda dropped into a chair with an ungraceful flop. The women smiled at him and bid him good morning, minus his little sister who just grunted at him. Mrs. Ashiya put some toast on his plate before handing up a cup of coffee.

"Oh thank Kami-sama, coffee," Umeda sighed as he reached for the cup.

Shizuki walked into the room with a bounce in his step. "C'mon," Shizuki grabbed Umeda's hand and tried to drag him away from the table.

"But I haven't even gotten my coffee yet," the doctor whined.

"We're getting coffee where we're going," the blond told him. "Now get up."

Umeda clung to the table and grumbled petulantly. "I don't wanna."

The girls giggled at his childishly stubborn face. Shizuki rolled his eyes and grabbed the back of his lover's chair. He began to pull backwards while Umeda hung on for dear life to the table.

"You can survive a 10 minute drive to get coffee!"

"Blasphemy, you heinous man!" the doctor exclaimed as the table began to get dragged with him.

The girls squealed as they jumped to grab their plates of food before it ended up on the floor.

"Let go!"

"Can't make me!"

"How old are you?"

"How dare you ask me that! I'm sensitive about my age."

Shizuki huffed in amusement and let go of the chair. "Don't make me resort to desperate measures."

Umeda scowled at him threateningly. Shizuki grinned evilly and made a grab for his boyfriend's sides. Umeda dived out the chair with a yelp. He hated being tickled!

"And I win!" Shizuki smirked as he straightened up.

"Cheating bastard," the doctor growled as he smoothed out his shirt. Soon as he looked more dignified, he smiled at Mrs. Ashiya and thanked her for breakfast, which he hadn't actually gotten to eaten. She blushed slightly, pleased by his polite attention.

"C'mon," Shizuki repeated, grabbing Umeda's hand and dragging him towards the door. "We'll be back before dinner, Mom!"

"Ok. Be careful!" She waved. She waited until the door shut before looking over at Mizuki with a smile. "Those two make a good couple."

Mizuki smiled back. "It's a little weird for me to see them together, but they do look happy."

"Yes. Shizuki never joked like that with his girlfriends."

"Or got into mud fights." Julia remarked.

" Kinda makes you wonder why we didn't notice sooner," Mizuki remarked.

"I knew," Mrs. Ashiya said gently.

"Dad was shocked."

"I think he had a sneaking suspicion, but didn't want to see it."

"I guess it is hard to accept."

"Yes, but he's starting to. And Umeda is a better guy than what he thought."

"Shizuki and I didn't really help give him a good impression of Umeda to begin with," Mizuki looked sheepish.

Rio laughed. "Oh well. If the boot fits."

"So when are we leaving for the mall?" Julia asked with a grin.

"So where are we going?" Umeda asked after buckling in.

Shizuki backed his car out of the driveway as he answered. "I am going to take you to a very special place in town. You can't have the whole Berkeley experience without going to this place. My friends and I used to meet here every Friday while we were in school. It was the only morning we all had off. We made sure of it. We all still gather there on Friday mornings. Well those of us who are in town."

"You're taking me to meet your friends?"

"Yes."

"Before I've had coffee." Umeda gave him a look that clearly said his boyfriend had lost his mind.

"I figured the orgasm in the shower could tide you over until you got some."

Umeda snorted. "You're pushing your luck."

"You'll like them. I promise."

"So what is this place?"

"Caffe Mediterraneum. Birthplace of the café latte in 1959. It's a bit of a tourist location, but the lattes are awesome." Shizuki explained proudly.

"I think I might be able to act nice with a good latte in my hands." Umeda conceded.

"I thought so too."

/

"Oh my God! Guys, do you see this shit!" Crystal exclaimed, pointing wildly at the door. The other three people at the table turned to see Shizuki Ashiya walking through the door with an extremely attractive man by his side. They were walking far more closely than any two straight guys would dare. Shizuki was grinning at whatever the guy was saying.

"My gaydar's going off," Houston remarked with a smirk.

"Do you really think-?" Crystal gasped excitedly.

"He couldn't possibly-,"Chris muttered.

"That guy's way to hot to just be a friend," Houston pointed out.

"There's no way," Sarah remarked.

They all whispered fiercely as Shizuki headed their way after stopping by the counter to order drinks. They stopped chattering at once when Shizuki was within hearing range. Crystal jumped up and waved excitedly. Shizuki waved back with a grin.

"It's so good to see you, Shizu!" She pulled him into a hug as soon as he was close enough. "Why didn't you tell us you were coming!?"

"I wanted it to be a surprise," Shizuki laughed hugging her back.

"We missed you," Sarah smiled as she hugged him next.

"Same. Believe me," he flinched when the hot guy next to him kicked him in the shin.

"Thanks, Shizuki." The guy grumbled.

Shizuki smiled sheepishly. "What?" The blond shook hands and exchanged greetings with Houston and Chris before pulling up two more chairs. The others waited just long enough for the two guys to sit before the curiosity finally got the better of them.

"Soooo…," Crystal looked at Shizuki pointedly. "Who's your friend?"

They all looked at the blond expectantly.

"Everyone, this is Hokuto Umeda. He's my…," Shizuki hesitated half a second and glanced over at the other man. The guy arched an eyebrow but offered no support. Shizuki laughed a little. "He's my boyfriend."

Umeda nodded politely. "Nice to meet you."

They were all a little to stunned to answer for a few seconds. The waitress stopped by and dropped of the lattes Shizuki and Umeda ordered. Umeda snatched it up and gulped some down before anyone said anything. He didn't want to have to talk until he'd had some coffee. He was still a little to foggy to deal with strangers yet.

"I knew it!" Crystal burst out.

"I can't believe it!" Sarah gasped.

"It's about damn time," Houston chuckled.

Chris just shook his head. "He's cured."

"Hey!" Shizuki said indignantly, shocked by their responses. He hadn't really known what to expect, but it hadn't been this kind of reaction. They weren't upset in the least. "That's it? What do you mean I'm cured?"

Umeda glanced over at him, as if to gauge his reaction and then back at his friends. He was amazed to when Shizuki was suddenly being hugged and getting handshakes like he'd just announced he'd been married. That was definitely not a reaction he was used to seeing when someone in Japan told their friends they were gay. Were all the Americans this laid back about the gay issue? He doubted it. After a few minutes of excited introductions and greetings towards Umeda, they all settled down. They all ordered breakfast or more coffee before beginning the questions again.

"So you have to tell us the whole story!" Crystal grinned, clapping her hands.

"And all about yourself, Hokuto." Sarah said pointedly to the amber eyed man.

Umeda blinked at being addressed so personally. He forgot about that here. Of course, this was his first time out of the Ashiya house where the Japanese language as well as their traditions were still a firm part of the life there. He'd visited the U.S. before but he'd been alone. So the only name he'd given for anything had been his last name. It was going to be a bit of a culture shock for him.

"Oh, we didn't mean to be rude," Sarah seemed to realize what had thrown him off. She suddenly looked really worried. She looked over at Shizuki. "He can understand us right? I mean we're not exactly great at Japanese despite your help."

"My English is very good actually," Umeda replied calmly. He reached into his pocket to pull out his smokes. He was seriously beginning to need one just to mellow out a little. He sighed when he glanced up to see the no smoking sign. He'd never been great on interacting with others and being polite for to long. He was already beginning to feel the strain of keeping his manners in check.

Houston noticed the lighter sliding back inside Umeda's jacket pocket. "What do you like to smoke?" he asked casually, sensing the guy just needed a subject he was comfortable with to relax around them.

"Camels." Umeda replied with a bit of a smile. He was pleased by the guy's observance.

"I like you already. I like Camels too. I've been smoking since I was 16. You?"

"15. Had to sneak them into the school dorms."

"A rebel. Sure you're gay?" Houston grinned.

"Oh yeah," the doctor smirked. Shizuki smiled at him encouragingly. He got the feeling it was ok to be himself around these people. So he dropped the polite act. "I'm a school doctor by the way for the same high school I went to. I'm 28 years old. My birthday's October 31 and I'm a Scorpio. Good enough start?"

The girls laughed.

"Yes! You're a doctor too! That's great," Crystal grinned.

"So how'd you two meet?" Chris asked inquisitively.

Shizuki cringed in embarrassment. Umeda snickered a little at the look on his boyfriend's face.

"Now that's a long story," Shizuki sighed.

"We've got all morning," Sarah remarked. "Spill it."

So the story telling began. It was amusing and fun to take turns with Umeda telling the whole narrative. Hearing it aloud made it sound even more outrageous. His friends listened raptly like it was some kind of drama fiction. They watched Umeda as they learned more about him and what he went through to try to win Shizuki over. It was easy to believe the man could harass Shizuki into falling in love. Shizuki looked happier, calmer, and more at ease with himself than he had in a long time. He and Umeda seemed to click perfectly.

"I'm proud of you, Shizu," Sarah smiled. "You picked a good one. You're very good looking, Umeda. This silly guy better be grateful he got you."

"Thank you," Umeda replied with a pleased smile. He was a little taken aback by her.

Chris reached out and shook his hand. "I'm glad Shizuki finally found someone who truly cares about him."

Umeda shook his hand. He was beginning to get choked up by the responses. He'd never had anyone be happy he was with someone like these people were. They were genuinely happy for him and Shizuki. It was such an amazing thing.

"We're glad you finally got Shizuki out of his shell," Houston clapped Umeda on the shoulder.

"You're bi, aren't you?" Umeda asked bluntly without thinking about it. Shizuki shoved him. He looked over and shrugged. "What?"

Houston laughed, not bothered in the least. "Am I that obvious?"

"No, it's just the way you expression yourself. You hold your body a little more…forwardly than straight guys do," Umeda explained his observations. "And I've hung around enough gay clubs to know how to read people."

"You're pretty perceptive. You're right, I am bi." Houston answered his previous question.

"Are you serious?" Shizuki asked in shock.

Houston smirked. "Yeah. I just hid it from you. I didn't want to freak you out."

"Oh." Shizuki looked a bit ashamed.

"It's ok, Shizu." Sarah patted his arm.

"You mentioned clubbing," Crystal changed the subject before it could get awkward. "Do you like clubbing?"

A Cheshire cat smile started to creep across Umeda's face. It suddenly made him look incredibly predatory. They all stared in equal parts surprise, amusement, and smug delight about what they had started. "Oh yeah."

Shizuki's eyes widened in horror when he saw the look on his friends' face. "Oh no. Uh uh! No way guys!"

"He's visiting California. He's gotta go clubbing here," Chris said as though it were a complete given.

"He'd have so much fun," Crystal smiled brightly.

"What else are you supposed to do in this town?" Houston asked seriously.

Umeda smirked. "I agree with all of that."

"Umeda…"

"What? You can't dance?" The doctor asked innocently.

"You know I can! I've danced with you before!"

Umeda shrugged indifferently. "That didn't count. You were saving me from my creepy cousin."

"Shizuki, don't be a Debbie downer." Crystal scolded him.

"Yeah, we're taking him. You have to come too." Houston said.

"I dunno…," Shizuki wavered. He loved dancing, but he knew so many people around Berkeley that liked to go out clubbing too. It would be like making a mass announcement that he was gay to the entire town. He was still trying to get comfortable telling people. There was one person in particular that he knew might be out and he really didn't want to run into her.

Umeda grabbed his hand and caught his attention. "I can see you trying to freak out. Relax. It's just clubbing, Shizuki."

"I know," He replied quietly. "I just…I'm little worried."

"Let's go. At least for a little while," the doctor pressed. "If you see someone you don't want to run into we can go… or you can let me take care of them."

Shizuki laughed a little. "Alright." How did Umeda know what he'd been worrying about?

"Oh you are good," Sarah praised Umeda.

"Yay! I can't wait!" Crystal clapped her hands.

Houston rolled his eyes playfully. "Yeah, we know how you are about clubbing."

"So where are we gonna meet?" Chris asked.

"The usual," Houston said. "They don't mind gays and bis over there. It'll be fine."

"Alright then."

"We'll meet you guys over there at 10 pm," Shizuki smiled, still a little bit uneasy about it.

"Perfect."

"We'll see you both then." Houston stood up and shook Umeda's hand. "Good to meet you."

The group broke up then as they exchanged good byes and heading out to their jobs or school. Umeda followed Shizuki back to car.

"Hey, you really ok with going clubbing?" Umeda asked him carefully.

"Yeah," Shizuki glanced over and smiled. He would go out and have a good time. He didn't want to ruin Umeda's time here. Plus, he wanted his friends to get to know his boyfriend better. If he ran into anyone he didn't want to talk to he was sure they would all look out for him. "It'll be alright. Clubbing will be fun. Especially with all of them."

"As long as you're comfortable," the doctor said.

Shizuki took his boyfriend's hand and squeezed it. "I'm good. We're gonna party like crazy tonight."

"I'm looking forward to it." Umeda grinned.


	6. Chapter 6

Umeda and Shizuki had arrived at the club on time. Shizuki's friends had met them at the door. There were a few moments of happy, excited greeting. The girls seemed more than thrilled to get Umeda inside and get him dancing. They wanted to see if the doctor could dance half as well as he might have implied. Soon as they'd gotten inside they had found a table near the back to reserve for their own. They ordered drinks and began to talk as they loosened up.

"I didn't think we'd get here on time," Shizuki was joking.

Umeda rolled his eyes as he took a drag from his cigarette. "My sister kept bugging me to let her come despite her not being old enough to get in. She's a nuisance."

"How old is your sister?" Chris asked.

"17."

"Yeah, definitely not old enough," Sarah laughed. "Why's she visiting?"

"She's a good friend of Mizuki's. Shizuki gave in when she begged to come visit," Umeda replied easily.

Shizuki glanced over at him in exasperation. "I didn't give in. I decided it would be a good idea to bring her."

"Whatever."

They kept on chatting for a little longer. The drinks disappeared quickly as they relaxed and the conversation got livelier. Sarah recruited Umeda into going up to the bar to get more drinks with everyone. Shizuki watched them walk a way for a minute before turning his attention back to the conversation at the table. "Crystal leaned over to give him a sideways hug to congratulate him once again on his great taste in boyfriend material. He laughed at her and returned the hug easily. He felt someone coming up beside him and hoped it was Umeda. Although that would have been a fast trip to the bar, but weirder things have happened. He turned his head to look up, with a smile, and felt his heart sink into his feet. The smile slipped off his face instantly. The rest of his friends at the table all went silent. Dread curdled in Shizuki's stomach as he stared up at the brunette beauty he had once dated. He had been hoping that by not telling anyone he was coming to California he would avoid having to meet Alisha again. Yet, here she stood now—anger and disgust etched on her pale face.

"Nice of you to tell me you were in town, Shizuki." Alisha remarked snidely.

"You're welcome," he answered sarcastically, feeling a little childish but not caring.

"Ignoring me won't make me go away," She crossed her arms over her chest.

He smirked coldly. "One could only hope."

She scowled. "I still have things I'd like to say to you. And you never answer my calls. We still have things to settle between the two of us. I think you owe me an explanation."

"I don't think he owes you anything, bitch. And I think you've said enough," Crystal growled at the pissy brunette as she tightened her hold around Shizuki's waist.

"Cute. Is that your new bimbo, Shizu?" Alisha said in a catty tone.

Shizuki felt his temper rise. No one insulted his friends. He was just about to snap at her when he saw Umeda appear behind Alisha's shoulder. He felt relief and love wash over him at the look of concern on Umeda's face. Apparently, he'd already picked up on the situation that had developed.

Alisha's eyes widened at the look she saw cross Shizuki's face. It was certainly one she'd never seen directed at her even though Shizuki had said he loved her. Jealousy surged through her as she spun around to see who the blond was looking at. She gapped when she found herself staring into a pair of amber eyes like she'd never seen before. The beautiful, mahogany haired man looked like he was contemplating ripping out her throat. The look in his eyes was so predatory she took an involuntary step back.

"Actually, lady, I'm Shizuki's new bimbo," the man smirked before walking over to stand beside the blond.

"Alisha, this is my boyfriend Hokuto Umeda. Umeda this is Alisha," Shizuki empathized his relationship for her sake. He got a smug satisfaction from seeing the look of stunned disbelief cross her face. It looked like she had been smacked in the face with a dead fish.

Her mouth dropped open as she stared. "No way in hell!" She gasped out. Then anger took over. "Shizuki, you're the most homophobic man I've ever met in my entire life! There's no way you're dating a man. That's really low trying to use a man to make me leave you alone."

"I wasn't lying," Shizuki replied curtly.

"There's no way you could make me believe that!" She half shouted.

Shizuki looked up at Umeda and rolled his eyes.

"You're right. She is a bitch," Umeda remarked offhandedly.

"How dare you call me that! Who the hell are you to-!"

Umeda cut her off with a hateful glare. She cringed back. "Listen, bitch, because I will only say this once. Shizuki is mine. I worked hard to get him. I have no intentions of letting him go, least of all to a cow like you." Umeda growled possessively. He really did look like an angry tiger. They were all a little surprised not to see claws or fangs. Even Shizuki was a little taken aback by the ferocity in his lover's voice. He almost yelped in surprise when Umeda leaned over to kiss him roughly. He stiffened a little in surprise at the abrupt move in such a public place, but it melted away quickly under Umeda's lips. He sighed into his lover's kiss and returned it. Umeda let it last another moment before breaking it and straightening back up. When he turned to look Alisha was gone. He smirked in satisfaction. That had felt really good.

"Damn," Crystal whistled, fanning her face. "That was hot, Hokuto. Shizuki is so lucky!"

Shizuki flushed in embarrassment. "Er, thanks."

Sarah shook her head as she set the drinks down on the table. The music was beginning to throb louder as the club began to really swing into action. The dance floor was swiftly filling up. Umeda glanced at it then down at his lover. He felt like he deserved a victory dance for being the white knight when his lover needed one. He yanked the blond to his feet with a grin.

"Come on. We're dancing now that the evil witch of the west has left," he said with amusement.

Shizuki laughed. "Alright."

"I'm coming too!" Crystal jumped up.

"Not without me," Houston grinned following them. He grabbed Sarah's hand as he passed her. "You coming, Chris?"

"Maybe later. I'll stay and guard the drinks. You guys go dance," Chris smiled at his friends.

They all made their way out on the dance floor. Umeda pulled Shizuki into his arms and began to rock his hips to the beat of the music throbbing through him. Shizuki put his arms around the doctor's neck, flowing easily into Umeda's lead. Beside them, Sarah, Crystal, and Houston danced in a loose circle. Music pounded, switching from one song to the next, as Umeda lost himself in the dancing. He had always loved this—the free feeling he got from dancing. He felt so loose and happy. He danced with Shizuki. He danced with Houston. They all danced in one big group. Sarah and Crystal danced with him at the same time, barricading him between their bodies just to mess with him. He didn't care. He was having fun. He watched Shizuki as he danced, enjoying the look of excited happiness on his lover's face. When they got back to Japan he was definitely gonna take Shizuki out clubbing way more often. He had no idea how long they danced. He watched Sarah, Crystal, Houston, and Chris come and go while he and Shizuki stayed out dancing. It was kinda amusing watching them rotate so that someone was constantly guarding their table. He forgot about them for a little while when Shizuki pulled him in tight and began to grind their hips together to a particularly crude song.

When he glanced around again all of Shizuki's friends had retreated back to their table for drinks. Umeda wasn't ready to stop dancing though. He put a little distance between him and the blond as the next song started. One that required a little more free range of motion. He was only mildly surprised when another guy stepped up to dance with him while Shizuki still danced against his back. It was a club after all and people came here to go hunting. He didn't mind though. This was part of the thrill of clubbing he really enjoyed.

"Hey, I'm gonna take a break. Stay out here and dance if you want. It's ok," Shizuki shouted in Umeda's ear over the music.

Umeda glanced back at him. "You sure?"

"Yeah. Have a good time! I'll come back in a minute. I just need a drink." He promised with a smoky smile.

"Alright." Umeda grinned crookedly.

Shizuki moved away. Within moments another guy had moved in to dance against Umeda's back. Shizuki wasn't surprised or upset by it. He'd have been surprised if it didn't happen. He had seen the other guys eyeing Umeda like they couldn't wait for a chance to get near him. He was the flame the moths wanted to flock too. He didn't blame them in the least. He made his way to the table his friends had saved. He sat down with a sigh before propping his feet up on the other empty chair. He grabbed his beer, taking a long chug.

"You left him out there?" Crystal asked, scandalized.

"Yeah, he likes dancing. I needed a break. I'll grab him when he's worked up." Shizuki smirked.

"Wow. You're like a pimp," Houston laughed.

"Hey, part of the American party experience is dancing with American strangers. Besides if they try anything he'll take care of them. That glare he has isn't just for show," Shizuki replied casually.

Chris nodded out towards the dance floor. "He's popular."

Shizuki looked back to see Umeda dancing chest to chest with a brunette, blue eyed guy and another good looking redhead grinding his ass. The doctor didn't look boxed in though. He still looked like the prowling tiger. There was no doubt who was the dominant one in that dance. Umeda moved between the two guys with sensual grace. He owned the space between them. It was like he was the pied piper and they were the mice dancing to his tune. His hips moved between the two guys, grinding both with every rock of his hips. He grabbed the hand of the redhead before spinning around and stepping up into his space. The brunette looked mildly irritated at the change. The doctor was expertly playing on guy off the other. The redhead looked like he would have eaten out of Umeda's palm if he asked. The song ended and another began. Umeda beckoned to a black haired guy who'd been dancing off to the side awaiting his turn to get near the amber eyed man. He turned stepping back until he was back to chest with the black haired guy, grinding back into the guy's hips.

"Damn, I think he's working them up," Sarah looked amazed. "He's really gorgeous. And he really knows how to play the game."

Shizuki laughed. "Yeah, he is. He also has the whole clubbing thing down to a science. He told me that he used to come to places like this to find his latest boy toy. Old habits, I guess." It was turning Shizuki on to watch Umeda dance. The doctor was so comfortable in his own skin. He was graceful, sensual, and so precise with every move he made. He did dance the way he fucked. It was making Shizuki want to strip him naked and make him dance horizontally just for him. He took another swig of his beer then got up.

"Can't take it anymore?" Crystal asked, voice tinged with amusement.

"Nope." He grinned before shoving his way through the crowd. He bumped into the black haired guy who was dancing behind Umeda. The guy scowled at him, but backed off at the glare Shizuki gave him. The blond grabbed Umeda's belt loops and ground his hips hard against the doctor's ass. His hard on nestled in Umeda's ass crack like it had come home. The doctor's head tilted back to rest on the top of Shizuki's shoulder as he moaned. He brought one hand up to grip the back of Shizuki's neck. His other hand threaded their fingers together against his stomach. Shizuki dipped them low and brought them up slow. Umeda's ass stayed pressed firmly against the cradle of his hips, following his move easily. Shizuki was amused to see that the other guys Umeda had been dancing with were now completely forgotten. They looked more than a little put out that the gorgeous man had surrendered so easily to the blond.

"How'd you know it was me?" Shizuki shouted.

Umeda turned his head to catch his eyes. He smirked like a lazy cat. "I'd know that hard on anywhere."

Shizuki laughed as he dipped them again.

Over at the table…

"Damn, they look they are gonna fuck on the dance floor." Houston whistled.

"Oh my God, they look so hot together," Crystal grinned.

"Shizuki's really lucky," Sarah remarked.

"Umeda's whole body language changed as soon as Shizuki came back." Chris pointed out.

"You're right," Sarah agreed. "He went from the wild, prowling tiger to the tamed house cat."

"He looks so happy though."

"Well, fucking around is only exciting for so long. Eventually a guy wants something more than that."

"Guess that applies especially to gay guys."

Crystal jumped up. "C'mon, let's go join them!"

Sarah laughed and got to her feet. "Alright. You guys coming?"

"Yeah," Chris returned her smile.

"Houston?" Sarah looked at him.

"I will in a few minutes." Houston waved them off.

They turned and pushed their way through the crowd until they were beside Shizuki and Umeda. The couple grinned when they showed up. They moved far enough away from each other to include the others in their dancing. Houston smiled as he watched them dance together in a loose circle, just enjoying the music and each other's company. Another song ended and the next slipped by. Crystal pulled Umeda in closer to dance. Two songs later, Shizuki excused himself to for another drink break. Umeda rolled his eyes before shoving him away with a laugh. Shizuki made his way back over to the table and plopped down beside Houston.

"You're feet starting to hurt?" Houston inquired with a smirk as the blond propped his feet up on the chair across from him.

"Yeah. I like dancing, but it kills my feet," Shizuki replied, before taking a big gulp of beer. He grabbed the pack of smokes that Umeda had left on the table. He shook one out and lighted it up. He'd been craving one all night. One couldn't hurt. He sucked in a lungful of smoke.

"So how's the sex life?" Houston asked candidly. He'd been waiting for this opportunity all night to talk to Shizuki alone about his relationship.

Shizuki coughed on his lungful of smoke. His eyes watered as a tried to clear his throat. "Great. It's great. That was a random question."

"That's it?" Houston ignored the last statement.

The blond blushed bright red. "It's…uh, amazing."

"I'd hope so with a man that gorgeous."

"He's the best lover I've ever had." Shizuki admitted.

"He looks like he'd be a tiger in bed."

Shizuki buried his face in his glass. He didn't know how to answer that without totally humiliating himself.

"Has he been inside you?"

The blond gagged on his beer. "Are you trying to kill me?"

"It's just a question," Houston grinned, enjoying his friend's discomfort. "Well?"

Shizuki turned even redder. "No."

"Are you serious?"

"Yeah."

"Please tell me you at least give head or something."

"Is this death by humiliation?"

"Don't tell me that it's all been one sided so far."

Shizuki looked uncomfortable. He shrugged lamely. "Not entirely."

"Dude! That's so not cool. A guy like that isn't gonna just lay there and take it forever without wanting something back in return after a while."

"He hasn't complained."

"Because he's probably been trying not to push you or scare you off. Let me tell you this. That man is used to playing top. He's used to wild fucks, sucking cocks, and getting as good as he gives. Eventually he's gonna start to want more from you. Or he's gonna feel you're not fully committed. Sex is give and take just like love." Houston told him seriously.

Shizuki swallowed hard. "I just don't know. And it freaks me out. I want to, but just thinking about it makes me freeze up. I guess I'm still trying to work into this whole idea of loving a guy."

"You can't be scared forever. Show some spin, Shizuki. You went all the way over to Japan to get him. How hard can it be to drop to your knees and suck his cock?" Houston asked.

The blond buried his face in his hands. He thought his face might catch on fire from the amount of heat rising off his cheeks. "How can you say that so casually?"

"Because I used to be scared to do it too. Then I tried. Trust me you won't be sorry. You'll see why girls don't mind doing it."

"Fuck." Shizuki sighed, dropping his hands. He felt like his cheeks were going to be stained permanently red. "Any suggestions?"

"Do what girls did to you that you liked. It'll work. Come on, Shizu. Be a man. Real men suck cock." Houston gave him a Cheshire cat smile.

Shizuki looked over at him in utter disbelief before starting to laugh loudly. "I can't believe you just said that!"

Houston shrugged as he continued to grin broadly. "Now if you don't mind I'm gonna go dance with your boyfriend."

"Be my guest. Just keep your hands to yourself."

"Oh, jealous much?" Houston shot back before he merged into the crowd.

Sarah walked away from where they all had been dancing with Umeda. "Hey, hun, you gonna dance?"

"Yeah. Is it just me or is Houston acting a lot more gay since I came out?"

"Hun, he's always acted that way. He just really toned it down around you."

"Wow, I never noticed."

"You didn't wanna notice. I can't blame you there. But he also didn't want you to notice."

Shizuki frowned in confusion. "What do you mean?"

"He liked you, Shizuki. He had a crush on you. He wanted so badly to be your friend, but he knew how you were too. So he did what he had to so he could be by your side." Sarah explained gently.

"Holy shit! For real?" The blond stared in shock.

"Oh yeah."

"God, now I feel awful." Shizuki looked upset.

"It's ok, Shizu. He gave up. I think he realized you just weren't ever gonna notice him like that. I think he's just happy for you now. Besides, I have him now. We're happy together." Sarah smiled.

Shizuki shook his head. "The things you learn about your friends. When did you guys start dating?"

"About three months ago."

"Well, congratulations." The blond grinned.

"Thanks. Now come dance," She took his hand and led him back out into the crush of bodies.

/

It was very late into the night by the time Shizuki and Umeda left the club. It was more like early morning. Shizuki wasn't ready to go to bed yet. He could tell Umeda was still wired from dancing too. The rest of the night had been so much fun. Despite all that though, Houston's words had stayed with him. He'd thought about it all night as he'd danced. He finally made up his mind on what to do about his fear. He enjoyed the wind whipping through his hair as he drove down a lonely back road to get to a spot he very much wanted to share with Umeda. Deep woods lined both sides of the road. It was deceiving, because it felt like they were so far from civilization. Shizuki knew that they were really only a mile away from his home. He pulled into a dirt track and parked the car for a minute. He got out, and reached into a bush to pull out a red scarf. He tied it around the tree before getting back in the car. He drove a little further before finally stopping the car again. He glanced over at his lover to see what Umeda's reaction would be.

"So where are we?" Umeda looked around at the surrounding scenery.

The car was parked at the edge of a very large pond. A big oak tree was standing on a small ridge above it. A simple tire swing was tied to one of its thick branches hanging almost over the water. A little row boat was pulled up onto the bank with some fishing poles in it. Woods surrounded the pond completely except for the dirt road in. It was secluded, but peaceful and quiet. Crickets chirped their songs. Birds cooed in the tress. The wind danced through the leaves. The moon drifted between the clouds above the trees. Out here it seemed like they were alone in the world. There was no one for what felt like miles. Umeda liked it.

"In the spring and summer my friends and I would come out here. We'd swim, fish, drink, and smoke. It was also our lover's spot," Shizuki explained with a nostalgic smile.

Umeda glanced over with an amused smirk. "Oh? No one ever showed up to crash the moment when they weren't invited?"

"The red scarf back there let's my friends know this place is currently in private use. We all respected each other's privacy on those occasions." Shizuki replied simply.

"Pretty smart. So you brought me here to your 'lover's spot.' That's sweet," Umeda's smirk grew.

Shizuki shoved him. "Hey, this place means a lot to me. I had my first kiss here. And my first blow job." He blushed a little as he thought about what he wanted to do now. "I brought you here for another first."

"And what's that?" The doctor asked curiously.

"That'd ruin the fun," Shizuki grinned before getting out of the car. "C'mon."

Umeda got out and shut his door. He leaned against the side of the car as Shizuki walked around to stand in front of him. The blond put his hands on Umeda's waist as he stepped in closer to press a kiss to the doctor's lips. Umeda sighed into Shizuki's mouth as their bodies settled more firmly together. The doctor wasn't surprised to find the blond was already mostly hard. He was pretty amped up to from dancing. Their kisses didn't stay slow for long. They quickly turned urgent and heated. Only a few minutes passed before their hips were rocking against each other in search of delicious friction. Umeda broke the kiss with a loud moan when Shizuki's hand wriggled between them to rub his erection through his pants.

"Fuck," he hissed as the blond worked to undo his pants. He loved it when Shizuki initiated anything. He loved Shizuki this way and he hoped it would continue. Shizuki's hand wrapped around his dick and Umeda lost his train of thought. God, the blond was so damn good at this. The doctor gripped Shizuki's shirt tight as his hips flexed into the motion of Shizuki's hand. The blond leaned forward to kiss him, deep and rough—all teeth and tongue. Umeda groaned in the back of his throat. He would never get over being amazed that Shizuki was such an awesome kisser. He could turn Umeda on and his insides to mush with just a kiss.

Shizuki pulled away long enough to whisper. "Close your eyes."

Umeda chuckled in remembrance of the first time he'd said that to Shizuki. Reverse déjà vu. It was awesome. He did as he was told though. Shizuki didn't do anything until he was sure Umeda's eyes were shut.

"Don't open them until I say so."

Umeda nodded, anticipation making his dick twitch in Shizuki's palm. Shizuki slowly dropped to his knees, dragging his fingers down Umeda's chest as he went. The doctor squirmed beneath him when Shizuki's hand stopped at the top of his thigh. He reached up with both hands to hook his fingers in the waist band of Umeda's pants and underwear. He drew them down slowly, watching the doctor quiver when his cock was freed to the night air. Umeda whined pleadingly when he felt Shizuki's breath tease across his skin. The blond pressed a kiss to his lover's stomach just above his cock. The doctor growled under his breath in irritation. He wanted so much more than that. Shizuki smirked before taking a deep breath and letting it out slowly. He was nervous, but determined to take Houston's advice and try this. Umeda deserved it. He was constantly giving into Shizuki. It was only fair to return the favor.

Shizuki closed his eyes and nuzzled Umeda's dick with his lips. He took another deep breath, drawing in the doctor's scent and savoring it. His lover smelled of spice and sex—sharp and strong—so very masculine. Shizuki was a little surprised by the sudden over whelming urge to taste Umeda. He gave into the desire with no thoughts to doing otherwise. He swiped his tongue up the hard, velvety length and across the head with the flat of his tongue. Umeda whined again: low and needy. Shizuki smiled against the head of the doctor's cock. Umeda tasted good, like a strong combination of salty sweetness with that hint of spice that lingered against his skin. Shizuki glanced up to see Umeda's mouth slightly parted as he drew in quick breaths. His eyes were shut tight like it was all he could do to keep them closed. His hands were splayed against the side of the car as if he wasn't sure what to do with them. He looked beautifully undone and Shizuki hadn't really done anything yet. It was amazing and empowering to know he affected Umeda this strongly. Suddenly, he wasn't worried anymore. No matter what he did Umeda would like it. The fact that he was trying made the doctor happy.

"You can open your eyes," Shizuki whispered.

Umeda did and immediately looked down. He sucked in a harsh breath at the sight of the handsome blond kneeling before him only a breath away from his cock. His whole body trembled as a sharp rush of arousal nearly undid him. Shizuki smirked knowingly. "Please," Umeda couldn't help but beg.

A surge of confidence ended any other doubts Shizuki might have had before then. He opened his mouth and took Umeda in with a smooth easiness that belied his inexperience. The doctor's knees nearly buckled at the first hard suck of that wet, hot mouth. Shizuki's hands reached up to pin his hips in place against the car to help hold him up. The blond experimented a few moments with finding what felt right, what was comfortable, and what made Umeda react the best. He was surprised at how easy it was to find the right suction, the right swirl of his tongue, and the right rhythm to his movements that had Umeda cursing and begging in minutes. Shizuki felt powerful and in control knowing he was making his lover come apart like this. His own arousal spiked with every moan Umeda made. He moaned around Umeda's cock with the doctor scraped his nails across Shizuki's scalp, causing tingles to race down his spin. The doctor banged his head off the car door with a curse at the overwhelming sensations that vibrated through his cock and up his nerves. Orgasm was only a heartbeat away. Umeda wanted it badly. His whole body flexed, trying to get to it. He needed to come so badly it was nearly painful. Every other breath was a plea for release.

Shizuki pulled off the doctor for a second, making Umeda whine in desperate frustration. The blond ignored it as he sucked two of his fingers for a moment. He made sure they were good and wet, before taking Umeda back into his mouth. His finger circled the doctor's hole for a second. Umeda panted hard with anticipation. He didn't think it was possible to get any harder or more aroused, but somehow he did. Shizuki pressed his fingers inside his lover at the same time as he sucked hard Umeda's cock. There was a moment of stillness as Shizuki felt his lover's body coiling tight. Then Umeda cried out: sharp and loud as his orgasm exploded through him.

Cum flooded Shizuki's mouth and dribbled down his chin in an instant. The taste was stronger than the precum had been. He waited until Umeda had spilled it all before pulling off to spit it out. He couldn't bring himself to swallow it. That was asking a bit to much on the first try. He rocked back on his heels to look up at his lover's face. Umeda had that blissed out expression that Shizuki loved. The doctor looked sated and content. His features were softer and vulnerable after he'd come. Shizuki liked knowing he'd made his lover feel that good. He loved knowing Umeda trusted him enough to show him this vulnerable side.

Shizuki swallowed back an irritated groan when his own dick throbbed hot and hard between his legs. It was reminding him none to kindly that it was in need of attention too. Umeda glanced down at him and smirked shrewdly. He didn't say anything as he kicked his legs out of his pants. He moved to the side a few feet before turning around and bending over the hood of the car, spreading his legs. Shizuki dragged in a sharp gasp as Umeda glanced over his shoulder with a lusty inviting look. The blond was on his feet in a second. He fumbled to open his pants and yank his cock free of his boxers. He grabbed Umeda by the hips and lined his cock up to that waiting hole.

"Fuck." He paused.

"What?"

"I don't have any lube."

Umeda pressed his ass back, rubbing against the blond's bare cock. Shizuki gritted his teeth as he nearly came apart right then. "I don't care. Just get inside me."

Shizuki groaned with lust at those words. A heart beat later he was surging into Umeda with barely restrained need. The doctor gasped harshly and slammed his fist against the hood of the car. Shizuki didn't stop. He couldn't. Umeda's body was to tight and perfect around him. He needed to come so badly. It was agonized pleasure. He couldn't hold back as his hips began to slam into Umeda, fast and rough. Umeda whimpered beneath him, but he didn't say a word about stopping. He took it. On his perverse level, he fucking enjoyed it. The pain was turning into gratification. Even though he'd already come his cock twitched and dribbled cum as though wishing it could wake up again to take part. A moment later, Shizuki was coming with a choked yelp. He gripped Umeda's hips hard as he poured all of himself inside his lover. He pressed his forehead between Umeda's shoulders, riding out the waves of release as his body jerked and trembled.

"Holy fuck," Shizuki whispered against Umeda's skin.

"Oh yeah," Umeda agreed breathlessly. "That was incredible." He tensed and grunted as the blond pulled out of him. He turned his head to cool his cheek on the car hood. His whole body tingled with pleasure and little shocks of pain. Shizuki stumbled as he turned to lean against the car. His legs were visibly shaking as he worked to slow down his panted breath.

"Sure that wasn't the first blow job you ever gave?" Umeda teased as he straightened up. His eyes fluttered in delight as cum trickled down his thighs. Shizuki swung his head around to look at him with an amused grin.

"Good then?"

"Understatement."

Shizuki looked pleased as Umeda walked over to pick up his pants. He bent over to grab them, giving his lover a view of the cum leaking from him. Shizuki licked his lips as his cock twitched half heartedly. Umeda shook out his pants and pulled them on.

"I think it's time for bed," Shizuki finally admitted after his body had settled down.

"Yeah, I could go for a few hours of sleep." Umeda agreed with a weary grin.

"Come on. Let's go home." The blond got back in the car.

Umeda got in a moment later. "Shizuki…"

"Yeah?"

"Thank you," the doctor looked over.

"You're welcome," Shizuki smiled happily. It hadn't been nearly as scary as he'd thought it would be. In fact, it had been really enjoyable. He certainly wouldn't mind doing that again…


	7. Chapter 7

Saturday morning came much to soon for Umeda and Shizuki. They had gone to bed really late after coming home and sneaking a shower together in the downstairs bathroom. There was no way they were going to bed smelling like sex, alcohol, and smoke. Shizuki was mortified to even think what would happen if either of his parents woke them up the next morning to smell them like that. They'd barely managed to snag a few hours of sleep when Mizuki had knocked on the door to wake them. Both had forgotten that they were all going to meet Gilbert over at the U.C. Botanical Garden. They rushed to get dressed (trying to ignore their hang overs) and eat breakfast so they could leave on time to get to U.C. Berkeley.

It was about 10am when they finally made it over to the garden and met up with Gilbert. The four young adults stood around chatting as they waited for Umeda and Shizuki to get what they wanted out of the car and lock up. Soon as they were ready the four kids (or at least kids in the two older adults eyes) began to walk towards the entrance of the Botanical Garden. Shizuki and Umeda followed at a much more sedate pace.

"Why do I feel like I'm babysitting a bunch of teens on a high school field trip again?" Umeda groaned as they walked into the garden with the younger adults ahead of them. He really wanted to just crawl under one of the trees and sleep until his headache went away. He didn't think he'd had that much to drink last night. Maybe it was lingering because his ears were still trying to recover from the loud music that had been playing at the club.

Rio glanced back and rolled her eyes. "It's not that bad, Hokuto. At least this time you can hang out at the back of the pack and play grab ass with your boyfriend," Rio smiled sweetly.

"No one's gonna wanna marry a girl with a perverted mind like that," Umeda shot back snidely.

Shizuki rolled his eyes at his boyfriend. Julia laughed at the semi-stunned look on Gilbert's face from the weird sibling interaction he'd just witnessed. Mizuki just grinned.

"Well, I think you guys are old enough to go off on your own without chaperons." Shizuki remarked. "We are going off by ourselves. Meet us back at the entrance at noon so we can go get lunch."

"Alright, we promise we'll be back on time, Shizuki," Mizuki assured him.

The four of them split off down a separate path through the gardens. Within moments they were out of sight.

"I bet you wish Rio would find a boyfriend already. " Shizuki grinned as he started to walk down the opposite path from the others. "Besides she did have a point."

Umeda reached over and squeezed his ass. "Yes, she did."

Shizuki smacked his hand away with a laugh. "Who's calling who a pervert now?"

The doctor chuckled.

"So what are you gonna do when Rio gets a serious boyfriend?" The blond asked curiously as he slipped his hand into his boyfriend's hand.

"Scope him out. If I think he's hot and meets my standards of worthiness for dating my sister then I'll allow it. If not, I'll get rid of him." Umeda answered airily.

"I don't think she'd appreciate you chasing off her boyfriend."

"No, but she'd thank me in the long run. I am a pretty good judge of character." Umeda said pompously.

Shizuki rolled his eyes. "True enough I guess."

"What about how you feel with Mizuki dating Sano? Do you approve?" The doctor asked.

"At first, I didn't like him at all. I thought he was a sullen, arrogant little prick. Now, I like him. He took good care of Mizuki while she was at Osaka. For that, I owe him a lot. I think if they've made it this far they are a sure bet. And I'm fine with that. She loves him and she's happy. That's all a big brother wants for his sister," Shizuki replied honestly.

"Yeah." Umeda said. "So who is this Gilbert guy? I can tell he has the hots for my sister."

The blond laughed. "Yeah, I noticed too. Don't worry. He's a good guy. He watched over Mizuki when she ran away from home. And he didn't lay a hand on her. He's a gentleman."

"Alright, I guess I'll trust your opinion," the doctor said casually.

"Jerk," Shizuki shoved him lightly.

Umeda grabbed him and pulled him in for a short, rough kiss. "I'm your jerk though."

"Yes, you are." Shizuki rubbed his hips against his boyfriend's lightly.

"If you start that now I'll drag you under the nearest bush to finish it," Umeda warned him with a glint in his eyes.

Shizuki laughed, backing off and beginning to walk again. "We'll finish it later somewhere more private."

"Sounds good to me." Umeda grinned.

"Hey, Mizuki and I are gonna go this way! There's some really pretty roses I want to show her," Julia grabbed Mizuki's wrist.

Mizuki looked baffled. "What? Julia?"

"Shuttup and c'mon," the blond haired girl hissed, dragging Mizuki with her.

"Why are we going over here? I wanted to hang out with Gilbert too," Mizuki complained after Julia had pulled her out of hearing range of the other two.

Julia stopped by a bench. She glanced back to see Gilbert leading Rio away with her hand in his hand. "You get to hang out with him all the time, which is a bad thing for him."

"But why?" Mizuki asked in confusion.

"You are so dense, Micky." Julia sighed heavily. "Beeeecause, he likes you and you like Sano. Gilbert knows it, but the more you hang around him the harder it is for him to give up on you."

"Oh, I didn't realize I was doing that," the other girl looked upset. "Is that why you brought me over here?"

"No, dummy. I think Gilbert likes Rio. I know she likes him. I'm giving Gil a chance to have some alone time with her. They are perfect for each other," Julia smiled proudly at her matchmaking talent.

"How do you know they like each other?" Mizuki asked, curiously.

Julia shook her head. "All the signs are there. You'd see them too if you watched. She gets all flustered around him. He can't take his eyes off her. Now, come on. Let's give the new lovebirds some time to themselves."

Mizuki sighed. "Kinda makes me feel left out. I miss Sano."

"Oh, don't start with that. I don't even have a boyfriend. How do you think I feel?" The blond rolled her eyes.

"Sorry, I forgot. You'll find someone, Julia," Mizuki reassured her as they began to walk again.

Julia smiled at her friend. "Yeah, I hope so."

Gilbert watched Julia and Mizuki walk away for a moment. He turned to look over at Rio, who blushed when their eyes met. "Come on. There's this really beautiful spot I wanna show you," Gilbert grinned. He'd have to thank Julia later. Thank God, that girl was so perceptive.

"What about them?" Rio asked uncertainly.

"They'll catch up later. It's fine," Gilbert assured her gently.

Rio looked a little uneasy.

"It's alright, Rio. I'll look after you, ok?" He held out his hand for her to take. He held his breath as he waited to see what she'd do. She looked between him and the other two girls, who had stopped by a bench not to far away. She stood there a moment before finally seeming to make up her mind. She reached out slowly and took his hand. She blushed a little redder as his fingers closed around hers. His skin felt warm against hers, settling the butterflies that had been dancing in her stomach. He squeezed her hand gently. Her heart beat a little faster when she looked up to see him smiling down at her.

"Follow me," he said warmly, leading her away.

She didn't trust herself to speak so she nodded and walked along beside him. He led her down the path past flowering bushes and trees. The place was tranquil this morning. Gilbert pointed out a few things that he thought she might find appealing. Mostly, she was more involved in stealing glances at him. He was so handsome. She really liked the color of his eyes; they were so green. His hair was like spun gold under the morning sun. He was different than the other boys who'd ever showed any interest in her. He led her into a little alcove under an arch. A stone bench had been placed beneath a tree at the back of the little alcove. White towers toad lilies, lily turf, and snowdrop anemone wreathed the tiny cul-de-sac. The tree added just enough shade to protect the flowers, and provide a comfortable place to sit and enjoy the scenario. It was quiet and secluded. It had a serene feel to it that she liked.

"I like to come here to study or think. It's pretty and peaceful. Mostly I like it, because once I never would have been able to enjoy the outdoors like this," Gilbert confessed quietly.

"Because of your lung problems?" She heard a lot about what had happened to Gilbert from Mizuki. She was amazed by the fierce determination and bravery he must have had in order to make it through so many hardships.

"Yeah. It was so hard to breathe sometimes. I hated it, because I couldn't do anything I enjoyed. I wanted to run and play outside like the other boys my age. I wanted to be free. My problems made me feel shackled," he told her. It had taken him a long time to be able to talk about this kind of stuff openly. He'd been so defensive about it when he was younger. He'd hated to appear weak or pathetic around other people. He didn't want their sympathy.

"That's terrible. I can't imagine that," Rio said softly. "I think I'd be really angry about it."

He looked over in surprise. It was like she'd read his thoughts. "I was. To be honest, there were days I wondered why I was fighting so hard to live," Gilbert admitted.

Rio looked surprised. "That's really hard to believe. You seem like a very strong willed person."

"Yeah, I always tried to be."

"What kept you motivated?" She asked curiously.

Gilbert smiled. "I want to climb Mt. Everest. I refuse to die before then."

"That's a big dream. I hope you can do it," Rio smiled back brightly.

"I'll make it happen," he said fiercely.

"I believe you can do it," she replied sincerely.

He squeezed her hand for a brief moment. "Thanks."

She glanced down at their clasped hands. She'd always thought such a little thing was kind of silly. She'd held hands before with a few guys. It'd never been anything special. This time it was different though. She liked the feel of Gilbert's hand in hers. It made her feel connected to him. She felt comfortable and safe sitting next to him.

"So what do you think about my quiet place?" he asked as nonchalantly as possible.

She could tell he really wanted to hear her opinion though. "I like it," she answered. "Thank you for showing it to me."

"You're welcome. I wanted to show it to you, because I like you," he admitted before he could back out of it.

She looked over at him in surprise. She blushed at the earnest look in his eyes. She wasn't quite sure what to say or do. She liked him too, but she wasn't sure she had the guts to say it so frankly like he had.

"It's ok," Gilbert said soothingly. "I just wanted you to know. You don't have to say anything," he assured her and squeezed her hand once more.

"Ok," she whispered, squeezing his hand back in return.

/

Julia gave Gilbert half an hour before she decided they should track the couple down. Mizuki had seemed excited for Rio. Once she caught on to the idea she seemed to like the two of them being together more than Julia did. The blond shook her head in exasperation at her silly friend. They caught sight of Gilbert and Rio sitting on a bench under a tree. They were sitting close enough for their shoulders to touch. She could see that Gilbert was still holding Rio's hand.

"Oh my Gawd! That is so freaking cute! I almost hate to interrupt, but we promised Shizuki we'd all meet up for lunch." Julia sighed regretfully.

"Maybe we can leave them alone and go meet up with Shizuki without them," Mizuki suggested.

Julia snorted. "Yeah right. Umeda would kill us. He's been eyeballing Gilbert like he's a thief. We have to bring them back, because if he comes looking for them it would be embarrassing."

"Yeah, you're right," Mizuki giggled. "Umeda can be really over protective of his sister."

"Understatement." Julia rolled her eyes. Julia waited until they'd walked a little closer. "Hey, you two!" She called and waved her arm.

Rio looked up and waved back. Gilbert looked disappointed at being interrupted already. The two girls walked up to the couple sitting on the bench. Rio blushed when Julia looked down at their entwined hands. She looked like she was about to pull away, but Gilbert tightened his grip before she could. Julia shook her head.

"It's lunch time," Mizuki said. "We have to go meet Shizuki and Umeda."

Gilbert's stomach picked that moment to growl loudly. Rio snickered at the resigned look on his face. They stood up together and walked the short distance to the two girls.

"Didja have fun?" Julia asked Rio with a hint of mischief in her eyes.

Rio gave her an unimpressed look before smiling. "Yes, I did."

"Good," Gilbert answered before Julia or Mizuki could.

"Well, let's get going before Shizuki starts to worry," Mizuki grinned. "I'm glad you had fun, Rio." She and Rio swapped knowing smiles as the couple continued to hold hands. They didn't let go until they met up with Shizuki and Umeda. Not before Umeda had caught sight of it though. He narrowed his eyes suspiciously at Gilbert. He didn't say anything though. The glare Rio had sent him, kept his mouth shut. He actually did like the younger guy. He was glad to see Rio had finally found a guy to take some interest in. He just didn't want her to get her heart set on Gilbert only to have to go back to Japan and not be able to see him again. It wasn't his place to figure that stuff out for her though. He had to let her do that on her own. She was a big girl now.

Lunch went relatively quickly. Shizuki was eager to give Umeda a tour of the rest of the college. Gilbert was more than willing to show the girls around campus too. Shizuki agreed to let the younger man drive the girls back when they were ready to go home. Umeda didn't look entirely pleased with the prospect of letting Rio out of his sight around Gilbert again. He decided to take Shizuki's word on Gilbert being a good guy though. He did want some alone time with Shizuki. The two hadn't gotten much of it since they'd come to visit California. Shit, last night was the first time they'd gotten to really have a long sex session since the night before they'd left. Hand jobs and quickies in the shower were fun, but not as fulfilling as really being able to take one's time.

So they all parted ways once again after lunch. Shizuki walked Umeda around the vast campus of U.C. Berkeley. He was like an excited tour guide, divulging all kinds of facts about the campus and its history to his boyfriend. Umeda thought it was rather cute. He loved how Shizuki's face lighted up when he was talking about something he was really passionate about. Shizuki brought him to see The Campanile. Umeda was rather impressed by the old clock tower. He loved Doe Library even more. It was a lot bigger than he thought it would be. It was beautifully constructed and he could picture Shizuki coming there to study. What he loved the most was when Shizuki took him up to see the golden gate bridge from the Berkeley hills hall of science. Shizuki told him how he used to come up here with his friends to work on homework or projects.

For the first time, Umeda envied Shizuki for being to go to college at such a beautiful place. Not that his college had been awful, but the atmosphere was nothing like the beautiful, calm one that surrounded U.C. Berkeley. No wonder Shizuki loved this place and got homesick sometimes. Umeda suddenly wondered if he was selfish to want to keep Shizuki so far away from the place he loved and grew up in. Shizuki had never complained about it though. He figured the blond would have brought it up if he was really that unhappy. He put his worries aside and focused on the now. Worries could wait.

They didn't get back to the Ashiya house until almost 7pm. By then, both of them were starving. They weren't surprised to see that Gilbert had already driven the girls back home too. Dinner was a loud, boisterous affair as they talked about what they'd done during the day while Sandy ran around the table yapping. Umeda had to fight the urge to punt the annoying little dog across the room. He really wasn't a dog person at all. Shizuki could probably tell, because he eventually got up to shut Sandy in the kitchen.

After dinner and clean up, the girls and Gilbert took a few of the dogs staying overnight in the clinic outside for a little play time. Umeda sat smoking on the porch railing again as he watched them all play out in the yard. Mrs. Ashiya washed the dishes as she watched everyone from the window. Mr. Ashiya and Shizuki sat at the other end of the porch on the swing, talking quietly.

"He's not really what I expected," Mr. Ashiya remarked about Umeda.

"Yeah, I know," Shizuki said. "I can understand why. I didn't exactly give you a great impression of him."

"Well, you were really distraught at the time," his father smiled sadly. He'd never forget that day. He'd never be able to erase the memory of anguish on Shizuki's face when he'd asked if his father would hate him for loving another man. He'd hated the man who had made Shizuki fall in love without even having met him. Umeda had sounded like a man who had played with his son's heart. He knew that wasn't the case. Umeda had probably gotten hurt far worse than Shizuki before it had all been resolved. He just hadn't expected to like the man after everything that had happened. He was surprised to find he did indeed like Umeda. Mr. Ashiya was still somewhat uncertain of him though. Maybe he would be until he finally got to have a talk with Umeda alone. "He looks different in person. A little less severe, I guess. He has very intense eyes though."

"Yeah, everyone's always saying that. It feels like he can look right through you," Shizuki agreed.

"If he were a mutant he'd be telepathic." Mr. Ashiya joked.

Shizuki chuckled. "Yeah. He's definitely a mind hypnotizer."

"He didn't, uhhh, trick you into this whole…?"

"Relationship?" Shizuki finished for him.

"Yes, that," his father flushed.

"No, dad. He was pretty straight forward once he realized he wanted me." Shizuki smirked about that. "There were no tricks. I was just in denial for a very long time. It took the right person to help me realize that. Kind like how Mom helped you."

"Yeah, she really saved me. She was the best thing that ever happened to me after your mother's death," Mr. Ashiya admitted.

"It's the same for me. I would have been miserable with Alisha. Or I'd have gotten into another half hearted relationship. I don't feel like I'm missing something anymore like I did when I dated women." Shizuki confessed. "Umeda completes me."

"That's what's important, son." Mr. Ashiya said sincerely. "I'm glad you're happy. And he's not a bad man either."

"Thanks, Dad. So you approve of him?" Shizuki pressed.

There was silence between them for a moment.

"I suppose I do," Mr. Ashiya finally said.

"I'm glad," Shizuki hugged his dad. "That means a lot to me." He stood up and walked over to his boyfriend. He wrapped his arm around Umeda as he watched the sun go down with his lover. He smiled softly as his step-mom came out to sit down on the swing next Mr. Ashiya. The two couples sat in silence watching the sun sink behind the trees as the girls, Gilbert, and the dogs romped around the yard. It was a peaceful end to a great day.


	8. Chapter 8

Sunday morning slipped by, calm and lazy. Mr. and Mrs. Ashiya drove the girls out to the mall to drop them off for the day while they went grocery shopping. The girls had agreed to catch a bus ride home after seeing a movie. Mr. and Mrs. Ashiya were going out to stock up for the party they had planned for Independence Day. Shizuki watched from the door way as they all left in the same car. A sigh of relief escaped him when the car disappeared out of sight. He was happy to get more alone time with his boyfriend. Mostly, he was glad to chase his dad out of the house for a few hours. He'd been bugging Shizuki since early that morning about possibly staying for the 4th of July party. He'd been rather upset to find out Shizuki had made plans to leave before the party. It was an annual event that the family threw every year. It meant a lot to his dad. He felt bad for not remembering to take that into consideration when planning their trip. So he had promised his dad he would ask Umeda about staying a few days more so they could be at the party. His dad finally left after he'd agreed to do that. He shut the door and walked into the living room where his boyfriend was sitting on the couch doing a crossword puzzle while a movie played on the TV.

"Umeda?"

"Yeah?"

Shizuki hesitated half a second before finally asking. "Do you mind if we stay a few extra days?"

"Not really. I don't have any work meetings or shit I have to do for the school for another two weeks at least. Why?" Umeda looked up at him, over his glasses. Shizuki swallowed down the sudden flare of arousal that spiked through him when his lover looked at him like that. He looked so sexy and sophisticated when he stared over the top of his glasses like that.

"Well, my dad was a little disappointed we wouldn't be staying for the 4th of July. He always has this big cook out. He wanted us to be there," Shizuki explained.

"Are any of your relatives gonna show?" Umeda asked warily.

The blond grinned. "Yeah, a few. None that are trying to pawn off a crazy daughter though. So don't worry."

"Oh, good. Then I don't have any objections."

"So we're staying?"

"Yeah, sure." Umeda looked back down at the crossword and marked in a word.

"What about Rio? Will your parents be ok with her staying longer too?" Shizuki asked. He was a little worried about that.

"Yeah, not a whole lot they can do about this far away." The doctor answered carelessly.

Shizuki arched an eyebrow. Umeda glanced up and saw the look on his face. He rolled his eyes.

"Ok! Ok, I'll call to make sure it's ok with them." Umeda sighed irritably.

"Thank you. And I'll get our airline ticket dates changed tomorrow."

"They won't charge you?"

"No. I paid extra for refundable or date changing tickets…just in case."

"Uh huh. Sneaky little bastard." Umeda smirked up at him.

"Yes, I am."

Umeda stretched his arms over his head. His shirt rode up a bit to reveal a thin line of skin before he dropped his arms again. Shizuki narrowed his eyes suspiciously. Umeda set the crossword puzzle aside before standing up. He sauntered over to the blond with a smoky look in his eyes. Shizuki felt a smirk steal across his face.

"So any plans for what we are gonna do while everyone's gone?" Umeda asked with an arch of one eyebrow.

Shizuki pretended to be annoyed. He sighed. "Is sex the only thing you think of?"

"Oh, I think of other things every once in a while. But if you don't think you can't get it up then we can find something else to do." Umeda sneered sarcastically.

"Are you suggesting I'm impotent?" Shizuki glared at him.

Umeda shrugged. "Maybe."

"Oh really? We'll see about that," he lunged for his lover.

Umeda dodged to the side. "Come on, Shizuki. Is that all you got?"

Shizuki growled playfully and made a grab for the doctor again. Umeda ran around the coffee table with a laugh. A few minutes of mischievous chasing ensued around the living room before Shizuki finally got Umeda from behind. He slid his hands under Umeda's shirt and began to tickle him. The doctor yelped as he wriggled to get away. Helpless laughter fell from his lips as he fought to get free. Shizuki stilled his fingers so he could lean in and nibble on the doctor's neck. Umeda whimpered breathless. He broke out of Shizuki's grasp and spun around.

"Tickling is foul play," he growled.

"So is calling me impotent." Shizuki replied. "I'm not done with you yet."

"Oh yeah…?" Umeda edged backwards.

Shizuki jumped forward, but the doctor was faster. Umeda spun around and raced for the stairs. He jumped them two at a time with the blond right on his heels. He ran down the hall, skidding as he tried to make through the open doorway into Shizuki's bedroom. The blond was right behind him. He grabbed Umeda by the back of his shirt and yanked him around. Shizuki's mouth claimed Umeda's fiercely. His tongue swept into his lover's mouth, taking possession and dominating the kiss. He knew Umeda had provoked him on purpose just for this reason. He didn't care. He knew his lover liked it when he initiated things. He'd been doing his best to be less hesitant about sex between them. His hands found Umeda's hips and jerked him roughly against his body. He felt a swell of smug pride as the doctor moaned into his mouth when the blond rolled his hips against his lover's erection.

The blond's hands slipped under Umeda's shirt to slide over smooth skin and twitching muscles. He drank in the heat, feel, taste, and spicy smell of his lover. He was still so astonished to know he really did love this man. More than that, he loved to touch him and claim him completely. His fingers found the hem of Umeda's shirt and yanked up. He barely parted from the doctor long enough to rid the man of the annoying piece of fabric. He didn't bother to watch where he tossed the shirt before kissing the doctor once more. He reached out with one foot to kick the door shut. He didn't even notice when it didn't latch all the way.

He backed Umeda to his bed before breaking the kiss. He shoved his lover down with a little more force than he'd meant too. Umeda fell backwards with a gasp that swiftly turned into a breathy whimper as Shizuki palmed his erection and rubbed. He laughed; almost giddy sounding, as Shizuki whipped the doctor's pants off.

"You know," Umeda chuckled as Shizuki shed his own shirt, "months ago you ran when I touched you. Now you practically attack me."

Shizuki growled. "It's your fault."

Umeda's pants were discarded onto the floor, followed quickly by his underwear. Shizuki reached down to swipe the lube off the floor from where it fallen the night before. Desire ignited in the doctor's eyes as he watched Shizuki coat his fingers with it. Umeda spread his legs invitingly, as the rest of his body coiled in anticipation. He was not disappointed. He sucked in a harsh breath when two fingers penetrated him.

"You love this way to much," Shizuki grinned as scissored his fingers inside his lover.

"Oh God, yes," Umeda moaned. He let Shizuki prepare him for a few more minutes before he couldn't take it anymore. He didn't want foreplay today. He just wanted to be fucked. He sat up and grabbed Shizuki's arm. "Enough...just fuck me already."

Shizuki's cock twitched in his pants at those dirty words. He was out of his pants and boxers in record time. He grabbed Umeda's knees and pulled legs up so he could line his cock up to that welcoming hole. Umeda grabbed his wrists, holding him in place for a second.

"Wait. Your family…?" He gasped as the blond rubbed the head of his dick against Umeda's ass.

"I'm sure they'll be gone for a while longer," Shizuki murmured, then buried himself inside his lover.

The girls walked into the house, looking tired and weighted down with all their shopping bags. They trudged up the steps to Mizuki's room. Mizuki pushed her door open with her foot before walking in. Rio and Julia followed after her. They all set their bags on the floor before collapsing onto whatever available seat there was. Rio opened her bags and began to pull out some of the clothes she had bought.

"That was fun," Julia smiled.

"Yeah, I didn't mean to buy so much though," Rio chuckled.

Mizuki laughed. "Me either. I used up all my money. It was worth it though. I got some really cute things."

"That skirt will look adorable on you," Julia remarked.

"Thanks!"

"That movie was really good too," Rio changed the subject. "I'm still stunned by the ending."

Mizuki nodded in agreement. "Yeah, that was an awesome plot twist."

"Man, I'm thirsty," Julia groaned. "I'm gonna go get something real quick. Do you guys want anything while I'm done there?"

"Nah," Rio replied. "Thanks anyways."

"I'd like some water," Mizuki said.

"Alright," Julia got up and walked out the door. She went to the kitchen and filled up two glasses of water before heading back upstairs. She strode back towards Mizuki's room, drinks in hand. Her footsteps were completely muffled by the plush carpet as she ascended the steps. She knew Umeda and Shizuki were in the bedroom and didn't know the girls were home. Whatever they were doing she didn't want to interrupt. She had a feeling they'd be less than pleased about it. Still as she passed by Shizuki's bedroom door she couldn't help glancing over at it. She was always accused of being overly curious. It'd gotten her into all kinds of trouble. She was surprised to see the door was slightly cracked open. She wondered how they hadn't heard the girls come up to Mizuki's room. She frowned as she mulled that over for a second. They hadn't been talking when they went up to Micky's room. They'd just wanted to settle down. It'd been a great day, but a tiring one too.

She shrugged and began to walk again. The sound of a soft whimper had her stopping up short. It was probably the sexiest sound she'd ever heard in her entire life. Her feet were moving her closer to the bedroom door before she could stop herself. Her toes curled into the carpet when she heard the sound again. Oh, now she just had to see what they were doing! Just a peek. She had to know who was making that sound. The fact that she was a rabid yaoi fan had nothing to do with it…

The door was not cracked open enough to see anything, but that didn't stop her. She gently toed the door open, remembering from previous excursions into Shizuki's room that the door squeaked at certain point. She got it open about three inches before stopping. She didn't dare go more. It was enough. Shizuki's bed was right in sight of the door. His headboard was against the far wall so that the bed was parallel to the door. She had a perfect view. Her mouth fell open at the sight that greeted her eyes.

Umeda was on his knees, bent over with his arms supporting him as Shizuki thrust into him from behind. The blond man's hands held Umeda steady as the doctor's arms suddenly collapsed. He groaned throatily as Shizuki moved in him harder than before. He dug his fingers into the sheets, struggling to keep pace. He whimpered in ecstasy as when Shizuki tweaked one of his nipples again.

Julia was astonished. She'd never seen anything more hot or beautiful. Umeda looked unbelievably gorgeous. His skin was flawless and pale. His hair was so bright in the sparkle of the sunshine filtering through the window. The sounds he was making were getting her hot and bothered. Shizuki looked way hotter without clothes on. He had a better body than she thought he did, because of how slim he was. Apparently, he did work out or something to stay in shape.

"Julia?" Mizuki's quiet voice startled her.

The blond girl hastily waved at her friend to be quiet. Micky frowned in confusion. Rio stuck her head out of Mizuki's bedroom door to see what was going on.

"Wha-?" Rio started to ask. She went still when she heard the moan come from inside Shizuki's bedroom. Mizuki's eyes widened comically in shock. Rio didn't look to surprised. Her expression was more intrigued than anything. Julia motioned them over and pointed at the crack in the door. Rio hurried over to peer in. Mizuki wavered for a moment before curiosity got the better of her too. She glanced at Julia, who smiled in reassurance. Both peeked through the door with Rio. There was a moment of jostling as they all tried to find a good spot to look through.

Shizuki stroked his hands up Umeda's sides before leaning forward until his chest was pressed to Umeda's back. He nuzzled the back of the doctor's neck before whispering something in his ear. Umeda turned his head towards the door and let out some sound that sounded like a sob trying to morph into a moan. The blond's hand reached back to caress his lover's hip as he continued to thrust.

All the girls stared in fascination at the dark look of lust and ecstasy painted across Umeda's beautiful face. He was always gorgeous, but now he looked like a fallen angel; something sinful yet so unbelievably captivating. The sounds he was making were feral and needy. The way his body flexed into Shizuki's every thrust was like the ripple of a tightly wound cord about to break. Shizuki drove Umeda towards release with relentlessly sharp snaps of his hips. Sweaty blond locks were sticking to Shizuki's forehead. His own body was beginning to tremble with the impending need for climax. His gaze was intent on Umeda like he was just as drawn in and hypnotized by the man beneath as the girls who were watching.

Shizuki's right hand slid down Umeda's hip to his thigh then down between his legs. A moment later, Umeda cried out as he arched his back and dug his fingers further into the sheets. Shizuki smiled wickedly as Umeda's movements became more frantic. Umeda's eyes snapped open as Shizuki's hand began to stroke him in time to his thrusts. His eyes looked glazed over like a drug addict on a high.

The three girls froze, drawing in one collective breath of horror, when Umeda's eyes settled on them. His eyes flared wide for a second in recognition and surprise. They all waited for him to snarl or yell at them, but it never came. Umeda was to far gone to care overly much about his audience. All he knew was at that moment his body was straining for orgasm like a dog on a leash with a bone just out of reach. He closed his eyes again, forgetting about them, and began to plead for it. He didn't care who saw or heard him right now. He wanted bliss—right fucking now! Shizuki gave it to him. He came with a sharp yelp as his whole body flexed into the orgasm that swept through him. He whined loudly when Shizuki leaned forward to bite into his shoulder as he came a moment later. The moan the blond let out was deep, relieved, and filled with ecstasy.

The girls backed away from the door and hurried down the steps into the kitchen. When they reached the room, they slammed the door behind them. They were all afraid that as soon as Umeda recovered he would come after them. They all stood there in silence just staring at each other in utter shock.

"Oh my God!" Julia squealed. "That was so damn hot!" She picked up a cooking book left on the kitchen island and began to fan herself with it.

"I can't believe you made me look!" Mizuki gasped in horror.

"I didn't make you look! You couldn't resist! God, who could? Umeda was so sexy. No wonder Shizuki turned gay for him. I'd turn gay for him!" Julia gushed.

"Julia!" Mizuki cried in surprise.

Julia waved her off. "Admit it. He was gorgeous like that! So was your brother. Damn! I never would have suspected Umeda was the uke though."

"Yeah, that surprised me too," Rio remarked, the shock already wearing off. "I don't think I'll ever be able to look at him the same again."

"Me either. He was always the seme when I saw him wooing guys before," Mizuki remarked.

Julia laughed. "Wow, your brother must be good then."

"More like he's probably to scared to take it," Rio smirked.

Mizuki turned to red at their statements. "I'll never be able to burn this out of my mind."

They all froze when they heard the guys coming down the stairs. Shizuki opened the kitchen door and walked in first. He stopped when he saw them all standing there, staring at him with guilty semi-panicked expressions. He glanced down at his clothes to make sure he'd put them all on right and buttoned everything back up properly. He knew his hair looked a mess. It was a bit obvious what he'd been doing with Umeda while they were gone. He mentally shrugged at being caught with sex hair. He glanced over as Umeda sauntered into the room behind him.

"I didn't know you guys were home," Shizuki remarked as he walked over to the fridge and opened it. He didn't see the girls all looking at Umeda with guilty, scared looks.

Umeda leaned against the kitchen counter, folded his arms over his chest, and smirked knowingly. "Yeah, you guys got back early."

"Well, the movie was shorter than we thought," Julia answered a bit to quickly.

"Did you guys enjoy the show?" Umeda asked, his smirk taking on a more evil edge. There was no mistaking what he was referring too.

Shizuki glanced over to hear what their answers were. He was interested in going to see the movie they saw so he was curious what they'd thought of it. He had no clue his lover was referring to something completely different. Mizuki turned bright red and stared down at the floor. Rio coughed and managed to mutter yes. Shizuki frowned. Must have been more gory or more filled with sexual content then he'd thought it'd be.

"Yeah," Julia answered confidently. She looked Umeda right in the eye. He quirked an eyebrow up in surprised response. "It was captivating. To bad we didn't see the whole thing."

"You were late?" Shizuki asked in bemusement. He knew the girls had been at the mall already. How could they have possibly been late? They must have lost track of the time while shopping or something. Girls. He rolled his eyes.

"Oh yeah. We missed the whole beginning, but it was still one of the best shows I've ever seen," Julia grinned wickedly.

"Julia," Mizuki hissed in horror.

Umeda was grinning in response to the girl's bold answer. "Glad to hear it. I don't think it's worth going back to see again though."

"I dunno. Might be worth it to catch the beginning," Julia replied evenly.

Rio giggled. "Even without seeing the beginning it was an unforgettable show."

Mizuki looked like she wanted to disappear into the floor as she made a high strangled noise of embarrassment. Shizuki gave her a worried look as he pulled out the makings for sandwiches. He cast a momentary look between Umeda and the girls. He sensed something was going on that he was missing. He hated that feeling. Umeda looked so damned smug about something. He made a sandwich and handed it over to his lover. He offered to make the girls one, but they all turned him down. He shrugged before making one for himself.

"So Shizuki…"

The blond looked up at Julia with a questioning expression after taking a bite of his sandwich.

"Do you work out?" Julia asked casually.

Umeda made a choked noise as he struggled to swallow a bite of his sandwich and laugh at the same time. Mizuki elbowed her best friend and Rio just grinned at her brother's reaction.

"Yeah, I go to the gym regularly. Why?" Shizuki asked curiously.

"I just saw how muscular you've been getting lately. It's a good look for you. You used to be kinda scrawny," the blond haired girl answered calmly.

Umeda flicked his gaze sideways at his boyfriend and eyed him up and down. The girl had a point. Shizuki's body had been looking much more appealing lately. Not that he'd looked bad before, but the firm abs and thighs were definitely a turn on. He forced himself to not think of that before he ended up with an erection. That was the last thing he needed in front of all these girls, especially so soon after the whole escapade they'd just witnessed. He was gonna kill his sister later. Why didn't she stop the other two girls from looking?

"Thanks, I guess," Shizuki rolled his eyes at Julia.

"So when are mom and dad getting home?" Mizuki finally found her voice.

"Should be here any minutes actually," Shizuki replied. "They just went out food shopping as far as I know. They didn't call to say they were late."

Mizuki nodded. "Well, that's good. I wonder what's for dinner." It was obvious she was trying to steer the conversation away from the previous subject as fast as possible.

"Mom said she was making some kind of casserole tonight." Shizuki answered, polishing off the rest of his sandwich.

"Alright then. Well we are going to go up to my room until they get home. Let us know when they get here, please?" She grabbed Julia and Rio's wrists and began dragging them towards the kitchen door.

"Yeah, sure," Shizuki watched her pull her friends out the door before it swung shut behind them. He turned around to look at his boyfriend. "What the hell was that all about? Am I missing something?"

Umeda debated on whether or not to tell the truth. He really wasn't all that upset about being spied on. It had kinda made the rest of the session that much more arousing. He did have a mild fetish of voyeurism. He felt it was only fair for Shizuki to know. It'd be mean to hold out on him about something like this. Besides, he wanted to see what his lover's reaction would be. "They saw us."

"What?" Shizuki's brow furrowed in confusion.

"They saw us—earlier," Umeda gave him a pointed look before flicking his eyes up to the ceiling indicating the upstairs then back down to the blond's face.

Shizuki looked totally clueless for another second. Umeda grinned when it suddenly dawned on his lover just what had been implied. His face flushed crimson as his expression took on a horrified look. "Are you fucking serious?"

"Yeah, I saw them watching us," the doctor answered calmly.

"Oh my God," the blond groaned in embarrassment. He covered his face with his hands. "Shit. So all that just now…between you and Julia?"

"It was referring to that—yeah."

Shizuki dropped his hands and stared at his boyfriend in shock. "Why are you so laid back about this?"

"It's not that big a deal. I don't care about being seen that way. It was a little weird that my sister was watching, but whatever," Umeda shrugged.

"Ugh, my sister! How am I gonna be able to look her in the eye after this? I can't believe she saw that! No wonder she practically ran out of here," Shizuki looked mortified.

Umeda shrugged. " You'll both get over it."

"You're such an ass," Shizuki glared at him.

"What? It's sex. Everyone does it." Umeda replied a little flippantly.

"Doesn't mean I want someone else, let alone my sister, watching us," the blond replied a bit angrily.

Umeda sighed. "Alright, I'm sorry. I shoulda said something when I saw them there, but I wasn't thinking straight at the time. I just wanted to come."

"Fair enough," Shizuki let a deep breath. "Oh well. Not a whole lot we can do it about it now."

"Nope. Let's just hope Julia doesn't make any more references to it at the dinner table. That could be awkward." Umeda joked.

"I'd kill her," the blond said, seriously.

Umeda rolled his eyes. "Relax."

They both turned towards the backdoor when it swung open. Mrs. Ashiya came through the door with several bags of groceries in each hand. She smiled when she saw them as she set down her bags just inside the door.

"Hello, boys," she greeted happily.

"Hi, mom." Shizuki replied with a forced smile.

"Hello, Mrs. Ashiya," Umeda smiled a little more easily.

"How was your day?" She asked them.

Umeda grinned. "Oh, it was good."

Shizuki gave him an irritated look. Umeda's expression didn't change.

"Well, good. Do you boys mind helping us bring in groceries? I bought more than I meant too. I guess I got over excited about our 4th of July party," she smiled a bit sheepishly.

"Sure," they both answered quickly, more than happy to have an excuse to do something and to hopefully forget about the earlier conversation for a little while.


	9. Chapter 9

"So do you have an agenda for the day?" Umeda asked his boyfriend as they sat at the dining table eating breakfast with the girls.

Shizuki looked up from his toast. "Well, I wanted to go over to Alta Bates Summit Hospital to visit my friends. I'd like to take you with me. Is that ok?"

"That's fine. I'm interested to see where you first interned." The doctor replied. He took every opportunity given to learn more about his lover. He was also interested to see what kind of hospital Shizuki had left to come over to Japan. He'd heard a lot of good things about that particularly hospital. "When are we leaving?"

"I figured after breakfast and when we've gotten cleaned up," the blond replied.

"Sounds good. Do you girls have any plans for the day?" Umeda asked as he looked over at the three girls grouped around the end of the table.

Rio and Mizuki avoided his gaze, still to embarrassed from the previous day's incident to look him in the face yet. Julia shrugged in reply. Mrs. Ashiya eyed the girls in confusion.

"Did something happen?" Shizuki's mother asked the three girls.

All of them looked up in surprise before blushing in varying degrees of red. "No!" They all exclaimed.

Mrs. Ashiya looked wholly unconvinced. She looked over at her son and Umeda to see if they had anything to say about whatever weird tension was hanging in the air between them all. Umeda just smirked at their flushed faces as Shizuki ducked his head to stare intently down at his plate.

"Don't worry, Mrs. Ashiya. It was a minor offense that's already been remedied," Umeda replied casually before taking a sip of coffee. Shizuki glanced up and rolled his eyes at his lover.

"Well, in that case…" She trailed off. She felt like she was being left out somehow. In a way she was glad she didn't know what happened. Sometimes it was best for parents to stay out of their children's disputes. Besides if they'd already settled the matter there was no reason she should get involved. "Well, anyways, Gilbert said he was coming over tonight for dinner again."

"He did?" Rio said failing to hide her eager tone.

Mrs. Ashiya smiled. "Yes, once his classes are over for the day."

"Great!" Mizuki grinned. "It's game night too."

"He said he'd be bringing the game for the night," Mrs. Ashiya replied.

"I wonder what he's bringing," Julia grinned, sneaking a glance at Rio. "It'd be fun if he brings Twister."

Rio flushed and hid her face behind her juice cup as she pretended to take a drink.

"I hope not. I'm getting to old to bend myself into weird positions," Umeda remarked offhandedly.

Rio gagged and nearly spit out her drink. Mizuki coughed on her mouthful of toast while Shizuki patted her back and glared at his lover. Julia had dissolved into a fit of giggles. Umeda grinned wickedly in amusement. Once again, Mrs. Ashiya had the distinct feeling she was being left out.

"Good morning all!" Mr. Ashiya came in with a bright smile. He blinked in confusion when he saw the varying expressions on everyone's faces. "Did I miss something?"

"That's what I'm wondering, dear," Mrs. Ashiya remarked as she stood up to clear her plate from the table.

"Anyhow, girls are you busy this afternoon?" Mr. Ashiya asked.

"No." Mizuki replied with a look of semi-dread crossing her face.

Mr. Ashiya clapped his hands together. "Oh good. I have a litter of puppies to de-worm and give shots to this afternoon. I could use some help with the little tykes."

All three girls looked at each other and seemed to be having a silent conversation with their eyes. After a minute, Julia shrugged and Rio nodded. Mizuki looked back up at her dad. "Sure, Dad. We'll come help. Who can turn down playing with puppies?"

"Me," Umeda muttered under his breath. Shizuki kicked him in the shin under the table. Mr. Ashiya pretended not to hear the quiet remark.

"Well, it's all settled then," Mr. Ashiya said happily. "We'll be leaving at 1 o'clock."

"Sounds like everyone's got plans for today," Mrs. Ashiya smiled. "I have my ladies book club to go to this afternoon. I'll see everyone back here for dinner."

/

"Are you gonna keep messing with those poor girls about what happened yesterday?" Shizuki asked in exasperation after they got in his car and he began to drive down the street.

Umeda shrugged. "For as long as I feel like it. It's funny. Julia's doesn't mind it."

"You're gonna give my sister a heartache. Your's to probably."

"Ah, Rio's made of sterner stuff. She just wasn't expecting that remark at the time. She's used to being teased anyways." Umeda shrugged carelessly.

"Well, I'd like to forget the whole thing. It's embarrassing."

"It's their fault. They could have walked away. We have nothing to be ashamed of. I refused to be embarrassed about it," the doctor replied evenly. "They'll get over it and so will you. From now on we've all learned our lesson in being more careful. Years from now I bet we'll all laugh about it."

"Or still cringe in embarrassment."

"Either way it'll make for a good story."

Shizuki shook his head and sighed. "You're unbelievable sometimes. I wish I could behave as comfortably as you do about this kinda stuff."

"You only live once, Shizuki. Dwelling on every bad or embarrassing thing that ever happened in your life is a supreme waste of time. We've got better things to do. Like finding better places to fuck when we get the urge," He grinned widely.

"You're a mess," Shizuki smiled at his lover's words. "And somehow you always make sense—in some fucked up way."

"My years have made me wise."

"Yeah yeah, old man," Shizuki rolled his eyes.

"That's right. Respect your elders, you upstart." Umeda smirked.

Shizuki laughed. "That sounded so wrong coming from you."

"You're welcome."

"Just behave when we get to the hospital."

"I believe I can manage to do that for an hour or two."

"Good."

/

The visit at the hospital was going well so far in Shizuki's opinion. Umeda was behaving very well. He was being gracious and polite to every person he was introduced to—doctors, nurses, and interns alike. The girls were just in love with the fact that the man had somehow managed to rope the blond into dating him. They were enthralled with his good looks and how charming he was acting. They had all given their approval of Shizuki's choice in boyfriends now that he'd turned gay. The guys seemed to like Umeda after they'd tested out his knowledge as a doctor which they found impressive. They were also amazed to find that Umeda was an expert on sports medicine, had written several articles for prominent magazines on the subject, and was a practicing chiropractor. Poor Umeda had been given the 20 plus question interrogation after that and had put up with it better than Shizuki had thought he would. In fact, he seemed to be enjoying the chance to show off his knowledge and flaunt his talents.

"Is that who I think it is!"

Shizuki turned when he heard a gruff voice call down the hall. He smiled happily when he saw it was his favorite doctor in the hospital. He walked away from Umeda for a moment to talk to the older doctor heading his way. He figured Umeda would be alright by himself for a moment with the interns and doctors.

"Shizuki! We've all miss you around here, son," the older man shook his hand warmly.

The blond couldn't keep the pleased smile off his face. He respected this doctor a lot. He'd taught Shizuki a lot about compassion and sympathy for patients. He wasn't jaded or cold even after years of working in a hospital. "Thank you, Dr. Gerald. I missed being here."

"Listen, you were one of the best interns to come through here. From what I heard the doctors in Japan thought the same about you at the hospital you transferred too. I made sure to keep an ear out for how you were doing. I have some good friends at that hospital." The older man grinned.

"I appreciate that. You were the one who recommended that hospital. I did my best over there," the blond replied.

"You always do. Shizuki, there's something I'd like to ask you."

"Sure, Dr. Gerald," Shizuki answered.

"One of our doctors recently passed away. Fatal car accident. Shook us all up. We didn't open her position to be filled here until just recently out of respect. When I heard they were finally looking to fill it I immediately thought of you," Dr. Gerald paused and reached out to grip Shizuki's shoulder. "I'm offering you the position. You're a damned fine doctor. Patients love you. We'd be lucky and very happy to have you."

Shizuki felt like he'd temporarily stopped breathing. This was the dream job he'd always wanted when he'd started working towards his goal of being a doctor. He loved working at this hospital. He'd liked all the staff he had worked with here. He had helped and learned from so many amazing patients. He'd learned a lot of what he knew about being a doctor from this place. It was amazing to be offered a job here. "Wow, thank you, Dr. Gerald." He stopped, a little overwhelmed as his thoughts began to race. He glanced down the hall. His eyes settled on his beautiful lover, who was now standing alone waiting for him, and felt something settle heavy in the pit of his stomach. Fuck. What about Umeda? He swallowed hard. He glanced back at the older doctor. "I'm very honored you thought of me for this position…"

"But?" Dr. Gerald could see the conflict lurking in his eyes.

Shizuki smiled wanly. "But, I need some time to think about it. Some drastic things have changed in my life recently. Before I would have said yes right away, but circumstances have changed."

Dr. Gerald looked down the hall to see the beautiful Japanese man watching them with narrowed eyes. He realized immediately what the blond meant. These two were much more than friends. He nodded. "It's understandable, son. Just don't take to long to think about it. You let me know what you decide. Either way you choose, make sure it's the best choice for you—regardless of anything else."

Shizuki looked a little relieved. "Alright. Thank you again. I'll let you know in a few days."

"Ok, take care, Shizuki. It was very good to see you. I'm glad you've found someone that makes you happy too," he nodded his head in the direction of Umeda.

"Thanks. Take care too, sir," Shizuki smiled sincerely and shook his hand once again. He turned and walked down the hall to meet his boyfriend.

Umeda stared at him flatly for a moment. Shizuki felt a cold shiver race down his spin. His boyfriend was upset. "Did you hear?"

"I heard," Umeda replied curtly before turning and walking away at a clipped pace.

Shizuki stared in shock for a moment. Was this going to be their first fight as lovers? He hadn't even done anything yet!? He hurried after the other man. He didn't want this to get out of hand when it wasn't necessary for that to happen. "Wait, Umeda!"

Umeda didn't stop, but Shizuki didn't slow down. He walked swiftly until he caught up with his lover. "Will you let me talk about it?"

Umeda slowed down a little so he could look over and glare. "Sure. Go ahead."

Shizuki grabbed his arm and steered him into an empty hospital room before shutting the door. He didn't let go of his boyfriend even after the door was shut. "Dr. Gerald means a lot to me. He was my mentor when I was here. It's a big honor to be offered this job. In fact, it was a dream to work here one day. I won't lie when I say that hearing him offer me a job here feels amazing. But-."

Umeda opened his mouth to interject, but Shizuki kept talking so he couldn't speak.

"I haven't decided what I want to do, because I don't know. Dr. Kiyoshi offered me a position at the hospital in Osaka too. Both of these positions would be amazing for someone like me to start out in. Each of these hospitals are well respected and I enjoy being at them. But I don't even know if working in a hospital is what I want to do for the rest of my career. I came here hoping I could have a few weeks to forget about this dilemma. Looks like it caught up to me," Shizuki sighed, dropping his hand from Umeda's arm.

"But you like working in hospitals, right?" Umeda asked quietly. He had calmed down since seeing how unsettled and worried Shizuki was by this massive decision he was faced with now.

"I do. I liked working in the children's ward best of all. I like working with kids and making them feel better." Shizuki replied softly.

"So you're just torn on what you want to do with your career in general, not with what hospital to go to, right?" Umeda re-clarified.

"Yes. I'm confused and lost about it all. If I take Dr. Gerald's offer I'd have to move back here. And this is my home so the offer is very tempting. But you're my home too. And I don't want to leave you in Japan just to be here, but I can't ask you to leave Japan either. I know you love your job at the high school. It's sort of vice versa with the situation in Japan. I'd be thousands of miles away from my home for months or years on end. It's kind of terrifying. I'd also like to look into being a children's pediatrician. So I just don't know what I want." Shizuki sighed in defeat.

Umeda suddenly felt horrible for the way he'd acted a few minutes ago. He didn't realize how much of this had been burdening Shizuki. The blond hadn't really talked about it until now. He knew his boyfriend had been struggling to decide what he wanted to do with his life. He didn't realize it had been this difficult and frightening for his lover. He reached out and pulled the blond into a tight hug. "Listen, Shizuki. I'm not gonna hold you back and I'm not gonna let you go. Whatever you choose I'll make "us" work. I want you to decide what's best for you. I'll do my best to keep up. Yes, I'm comfortable where I am with my career, but that doesn't mean I can't change too if it comes to that. Ok?"

"Ok." Shizuki hugged him hard in return. He loved this man so much. He was so glad he'd found someone who understood him so well. "Thanks, Hokuto."

"Wish you would call me that more," Umeda smiled against his boyfriend's neck.

"I'll try too," Shizuki replied earnestly.

"Good, because I love you. It's nice to hear my first name on my lover's lips," Umeda leaned back to smirk at the blond.

Shizuki shook his head and smiled gently. "I love you too, Hokuto."

"Perfect," Umeda whispered before kissing the younger man. They stayed that way for a long moment before the doctor pulled away. "I think it's time we got back."

"Yeah," Shizuki agreed. He opened the door and led his boyfriend out of the door, then out of the hospital. He'd had enough of dilemmas for one day. He was gonna have to seriously think about everything the next few days before he left here. He couldn't pretend that none of it existed anymore. He needed to make a decision soon—for his and Umeda's sake. He paused in mid-step. "On second thought, let's go on a date."

Umeda stopped and looked at him. "That's a little random, but alright."

"Well, I'm just not ready to go home. I don't feel like answering my mom's questions about how everyone's doing at the hospital. I'll just call her and tell her we're going to hang out in the city for a while." Shizuki replied.

"Sounds like fun," Umeda replied.

"Good," he smiled. "I know the perfect place to take you to dinner."

/

"So what game did you bring to play tonight, Gilbert?" Julia asked with a grin. She glanced sideways at Rio who was blushing faintly.

Gilbert dropped onto the floor in front of the coffee table and folded his legs. He reached into his bag to pull out two decks of cards. They were brightly colored cards though. Rio had never seen a deck of cards like that before.

"What game is it?" She asked curiously.

"Skipbo," he answered with a grin. "It's pretty simple. And it's a lot of fun in a decent sized group."

"I remember that game!" Mizuki grinned. She clapped her hands. "I love this game!"

Julia laughed. "From what I remember you suck at it too."

"I do not! You guys just get all the good cards!" She protested with a scowl.

Rio grinned at her friend's pouting face. "Sounds like a fun game."

"It is. We'll all teach you how to play," Gilbert smiled at her.

She glanced down at the table and folded her hands in her lap. "Alright."

"What about Umeda and Shizuki?" Mizuki asked.

Julia waved her hand dismissively. "Hey, if they aren't here on time it's their own fault."

"They are out on a date," Mrs. Ashiya said from the doorway with a smile.

"I thought they were just going to the hospital," Rio remarked as Gilbert began to deal out the cards and set up the deck.

Mrs. Ashiya spread her hands in defeat. "They need their time together. I'm sure you all have enough players for Skipbo."

"You don't want to join in, Mom?" Mizuki asked curiously.

She shook her head. "No, you're dad decided that since all you kids were busy he wanted to take me out for dessert somewhere."

"Awww," Julia grinned. "That's so sweet. "

"Have fun, Mom." Mizuki was grinning too.

"We will. We won't be gone to long so you kids behave. Don't destroy the house." Mrs. Ashiya advised jokingly.

Gilbert looked up and smiled reassuringly. "We won't. I'll make sure of it."

"Thank you, Gil." She turned to head out the door. "There are snacks and drinks in the kitchen when you want them."

"Thanks!" They all called after her.

They heard the door open and shut. Mizuki got up to turn on the stereo. She put a couple of CDs into the six changer player and pressed play. Soon as she sat back down, Gil clapped his hands together and smirked. "Well, let's get this game started."

"Oh don't act like you're gonna win, buddy," Julia remarked as she set up her cards.

"It's almost certainly a given," Gilbert answered confidently.

"We'll see about that," Rio smiled wickedly.

"A challenge! While then first you need to know how the game works," Gilbert replied smoothly. He began to explain to her the rules of the game…

/

"You have to be cheating!" Gilbert cried indignantly.

Rio laughed as she won her second game in a row. "I thought you said you were going to win!"

"I would be if I could figure out how you were winning so easily. How'd you do that?" He asked in disbelief.

"I got lucky," Rio replied evenly.

"Cheater," Julia smirked as she threw her cards back onto the pile.

"Is that jealousy?" Rio smirked at the blond girl.

Mizuki laughed at all of them. "Well, I am lousy at this game so I don't mind losing. It's fun anyways."

Gilbert set up the deck and handed out the cards. In a matter of minutes another game was on a roll and it got to Rio's turn. She picked up one card and managed to get rid of five cards before having to stop. She smirked at Gilbert triumphantly.

"Sheesh, you are ruthless." Gilbert grumbled. "I will beat you this time though."

"I'd like to see you try," she grinned.

Julia rolled her eyes. "There are other people playing in this game too, you know."

"Oh right," Gilbert tilted his head and smiled indulgently.

"I should punch you," the blond girl growled, shaking her fist at him. "I nearly won last time too."

"In your dreams," both Gilbert and Rio replied. They glanced at each and laughed.

"Unbelievable," Julia muttered as she took her turn. She only managed to discard three cards.

Mizuki just shrugged as she played her turn. She barely managed to discard two cards. She was just enjoying playing a game with all her friends. She didn't care if she won or not. The game began to heat up fast. Gilbert, Julia, and Rio swapped mock heated insults as they played out their hands. Gilbert and Rio were duking it out like it was a battle not a game. They didn't let themselves get to wrapped up in the competition to lose the fun of the game though. In fact, it was quite funny to watch the two trying to beat each other so earnestly. It was getting pretty close between the two. Julia really wasn't to far behind. Mizuki was hardly a stop in the cycle of the game before it moved on. Then suddenly…

"I won!" Gilbert cried in excitement at Rio. "Ha! I beat you! I knew I could!"

Rio rolled her eyes, but smiled a moment later. "Congratulations."

"Oh, don't be a sore loser," Gilbert grinned.

"I'm not. You won…after I beat you twice." She smirked at him.

He sighed in mock disgust. "Trying to ruin my victory."

"I think it's time for snacks," Mizuki remarked as she climbed to her feet.

Julia scrambled to her feet too. "I'll help you get them."

"Ok, thanks," Mizuki replied, giving her an odd look.

Julia shifted her eyes sideways at the pair still pretending to argue over the game. Mizuki's mouth formed an 'O' of understanding before she turned and walked out of the room. Gilbert watched them go out of the corner of his eyes. Seriously, Julia was becoming one of his favorite people just for the fact that she kept giving him time alone with Rio. He turned his eyes back to Rio to find her watching him thoughtfully.

"This was fun," Rio smiled shyly. She felt a little nervous now that they were alone.

Gilbert couldn't help smiling back. She was so cute when she was shy. He had a feeling he was the only one that had ever really seen this side of her. She seemed to straight forward and blunt to be shy very often. It was a flattering to know that he affected her that much. "Yeah, it was. And you are really good at that game."

"Thanks." She replied.

"So do you guys have any plans for this weekend?" He asked curiously. He had something in mind, but he needed to make sure they weren't doing something already.

She shook her head. "Nope. I think we've all had enough of shopping."

"Well, good, because what I have in mind doesn't involve shopping. You will need a swimsuit though," he replied with a big grin.

"Swimsuits?" She quirked an eyebrow up. "Are you just trying to get a chance to see me in my bikini?"

He licked his lips before replying. "I might be."

"Hmmm." She gave him a wicked smile.

Now, that he liked. The shyness had melted away to the fierce attitude that he knew had been hiding beneath. He liked this vixen side of her a lot. "How would you like to go to the beach?"

"I would love to go to the beach!" She exclaimed with a broad smile. "I've wanted to go since I got here."

"Well, I am more than willing to take all of you to the beach," he said as Mizuki and Julia walked back into the room carrying drinks and snacks. "What do you two think?"

"The beach!" Mizuki squealed happily. "I wanna go!"

"It'd be great to get out and work on my tan," Julia answered excitedly. "I might even be able to scoop out some cute guys."

Gilbert snorted. "Doesn't mean they'll talk to you."

She stuck her tongue out at him. "Jerk."

"So beach it is on Saturday," Gilbert returned to the discussion at hand.

"It's a great idea. I'm sure Mom and Dad would like to go." Mizuki remarked.

"That means we'll have to drag the lovebirds along," Rio sighed wearily.

Julia grinned at the thought of seeing those two hotties in their swim trunks. "It's not that bad."

The two other girls looked at her and shook their heads. Gilbert glanced between them and frowned. He had a feeling he was missing something. He shrugged it off. Probably didn't want to know.

"What are we being dragged along too?" Umeda asked from the doorway as he shrugged out of his jacket.

They all turned their heads to see Shizuki and Umeda standing in the living room archway.

"We are going to the beach Saturday," Gilbert announced.

"Sounds like a great idea," Shizuki agreed. "I'll invite my friends though so you guys don't have to put up with us." He grinned teasingly.

Umeda chuckled. "I wouldn't mind hanging out with your friends again."

"Oh good. Well, we're in for the beach trip just check with mom and dad when they get back." Shizuki started heading for the stairs. He paused and looked back. "Where'd they go anyways?"

"Out for dessert," Mizuki replied. "Are you two going to bed already?"

Shizuki nodded. "It's been a long day."

"Alright, good night then." She bid him.

Both of the guys waved as they headed up the stairs. The girls all looked up when they heard the bathroom door open and shut only once. Mizuki sighed, Julia grinned, and Rio rolled her eyes. Gilbert looked confused. He really felt like he was missing something now. It was forgotten quickly. The four younger adults played a few more rounds of Skipbo—one of which Julia actually won. Mr. and Mrs. Ashiya came back from their little date half an hour later. They sat with the girls and Gilbert for a little while. Gilbert finally announced that he needed to head home. They all said their good nights. Bedtime followed shortly after Gilbert left.

Umeda and Shizuki lay in bed, settling down for the night. They'd both showered—separately—and finished up the rest of their bathroom ritual of brushing teeth and what not. They had gotten into bed a little while ago. They listened to everyone else make their way upstairs and take their turns in the bathroom. Both were getting tired, but not quite ready to fall asleep. They were both lost in thought about the events of the day. Shizuki rolled his head to the side to look at his lover.

"Thanks for putting up with all the questions and everything earlier at the hospital, Umeda. It meant a lot to me," Shizuki said as he kissed his boyfriend's neck.

"You're welcome. I knew it was important to you. I did my best to behave," the doctor grinned. "I actually had fun too; even with all the nosy questions."

"Well, you did sort of seem like you were strutting your stuff like a peacock."

"I can't help it when the opportunity presents itself."

"It was fun to watch. It made me feel like a bit of a girl though. So proud to show off my new boyfriend, who's so smart and talented," Shizuki chuckled.

Umeda pretended to preen for a moment. "Well I am quite the catch."

Shizuki punched him lightly in the arm.

"You're gonna deny it?" The doctor looked at him as if he were offended.

"Cut it out, idiot," Shizuki rolled his eyes.

Umeda bowled him over on to his back and straddled his waist. "Never."

"Hokuto, not now." Shizuki groaned as his dick began to wake up thanks to the handsome man rubbing his ass against it.

"You afraid to be caught again?" Hokuto murmured in the blond's ear.

"I thought you said we should find a better place to fuck than here," Shizuki growled as the older man nibbled his ear sending tingles down his spin. His hips shifted helplessly as his dick got harder, pressing against the crease of Umeda's ass.

"I did, but maybe all we needed was a better time. We know everyone's in bed now. It's safe." The doctor grinned wickedly. "I even made sure the door got shut all the way."

Shizuki glanced over at it. He hadn't even noticed before that moment. "You're prepared huh?"

"Oh yeah," Umeda grinned as he shed his pants before yanking down Shizuki's. "Pre-stretched too."

The blond moaned heatedly at those dirty words and the hot wave of arousal that flooded through him. "Fuck, I'm not gonna be able to talk you out of this, am I?"

"No," Umeda replied as rubbed lube onto his lover's cock. The blond flexed his hips so that his cock thrust up into the tight grip. The doctor stroked him a few more times. "I want you," Umeda whispered in his lover's ear. Shizuki moaned again, desperate sounding as he reached up and gripped the older man's hips. Umeda spread himself open and positioned Shizuki's cock at his hole. He took a deep breath than sank down onto his lover's dick. His head fell back in delight as his body took in the entire length. Everything after that was a mix of sexual sound, pleasure, and movement. They both lost themselves in it. It didn't last long. It didn't need too. They both came with gasps of delight as they indulged in the ecstasy racing threw their bodies. When they were spent they curled up in each other's arms and fell asleep—heedless of the mess. Everything could wait until the morning. There had been enough excitement for one day.


	10. Chapter 10

Shizuki woke up groggy and crusty eyed the next morning. A pleasant ache tingled through his entire body from the previous night's activities. However, an unpleasant sweaty, sticky feeling clung to the insides of his thighs and lower regions of his body. He always disliked falling asleep right after sex. He didn't like the clean up the next morning. He couldn't be upset with Umeda about it though. After all, he'd nearly done all the work. He'd been so damn hot last night.

The blond glanced over at his lover, amused to find him sprawled on his stomach with the pillow pulled over his head. He had no idea how the doctor never smothered himself in his sleep like that. The blocked the sun out though so that was probably why the man was still asleep. He was also probably exhausted and achier than Shizuki from the sex last night.

Shizuki slowly pushed himself up into a sitting position, yawning and scrubbing his fingers through his messy bed head. He was reluctant to get out of the warm, cozy nest of his bed, but he knew there were a lot of things to do before they all left for the beach this afternoon. His mother and the girls were probably gonna go crazy getting ready too. He just wanted to get a shower and pack his own beach supplies before they took over everything. Maybe if they weren't to scary he'd help them make stuff to bring for lunch. Right now, though all he wanted was that shower.

He pulled back the sheets and climbed to his feet. He looked back when Umeda shifted, sensing his sudden absence. He smiled slightly before gathering up his shirt and swim trunks to change into later.

"Shizuki?" Umeda sleep graveled voiced stopped him just as he was about to leave the room.

The blond walked back over to the bed as Umeda pushed the pillow off and raised his head to see where his boyfriend had gone.

"Good morning," Shizuki ruffled his lover's wild tresses. "I'm just gonna take a shower real quick before the women storm the bathroom. Stay here and relax. I'll be back."

Umeda groaned. "No. I better get up too. I'd like a shower as well."

He grimaced when he sort of stuck to the sheets as he tried to sit up. Shizuki snickered a little but stopped when the doctor glared at him. He waited for Umeda to gather his clothes to before they both headed down the hall to the bathroom. Shizuki checked to make sure the room was empty before opening the door and allowing Umeda to walk past him before he followed. He shut the door, set his clothes on the sink, and turned on the shower. He laughed when Umeda dropped his head on his shoulder with a tired groan.

"See, you pushed yourself to hard last night," Shizuki admonished him. He felt Umeda smile against his skin.

"Oh, I pushed hard alright."

The blond reached back to pop the doctor on the head when his hand began to creep around Shizuki's hip. "None of that now. You need your energy for the day."

Umeda raised his head with a sigh. "Mood wrecker."

"Sexaholic," Shizuki replied snidely before stepping into the shower. Umeda crowded in behind him. They began their morning ritual of showering together. It was a well coordinated set of steps. One got wet, switch while the other shampooed, switch to rinse, and then do the same for washing the body, except they each usually helped wash the other down. That usually led to other activities which Shizuki was trying to avoid this morning for the sake of time. Umeda seemed to have other ideas. He was horny again despite the sex from the previous night. He crowded into Shizuki's space as he slid his soapy hands down the blond's body.

Shizuki groaned as the doctor kneaded his hips. "You're really trying hard, aren't you?"

"Oh yeah. It seems to be working," he answered, rubbing his belly against the blond's erection.

Shizuki moaned, letting his head fall back. "How do you always manage to bully me into doing whatever you want?"

"Lots of practice," Umeda breathed. He slipped his hands around Shizuki's backside to knead at the muscle there. Shizuki cracked his eyes open to glare at him warningly. He shrugged, letting his hands slide away. "One of these days I'm gonna get in there."

"Uh huh. When I say so," the blond replied evenly, ignoring the quiver of fear that always rose with Umeda mentioned this particularly subject. "Now, c'mon. We need to get out of here."

"Fine fine."

/

The morning went by fast after their shower together. Shizuki did help his mother make food to pack for lunch. He knew his friends would be bringing stuff too so it would be like one big picnic. Umeda had packed their beach bag for him so he didn't have to worry about it. The girls took turns showering before they started packing their beach bags. They were just finishing up when Umeda plopped down onto the couch.

"Hi, everyone!"

Umeda looked up as a young black woman walked in the room with a big grin. Mizuki jumped up with a cry of delight and wrapped her arms around the woman in a big hug. Julia was next to greet her and give her a hug.

"Hey, Lisa!" Shizuki grinned as he walked into the room, carrying the big picnic basket.

"Hey, Shizu! Long time no see!" She pulled the blond man into a hug. He laughed and hugged her back warmly.

"Where have you been?" Shizuki asked her after being released from her embrace.

Lisa laughed. "You didn't even notice I wasn't here, you butthead."

Shizuki shrugged and smiled sheepishly. "I've been busy since I got home."

"Yeah yeah. Well, I've been at my parents' house for a few weeks." Lisa informed him.

"That's good. I'm sure they were happy to see you," The blond replied.

"They were, but I was happy to leave too. I love them both and my little sister, but they drive me crazy after a while. It was nice to come back to California," Lisa remarked as she sat down on a chair. "So anything new going on?"

Umeda shifted on the couch, which caught Lisa's attention.

"Oh my God! I didn't even notice you were there!" The young woman gasped in surprise. She gapped for a moment when Umeda looked up to gaze back at her. Holy shit! She thought. Hottie alert! "Who are you?"

Shizuki started to laugh. "Now who's not being observant?"

"Shuttup, Shizu, and introduce us!" Lisa barked at him.

Umeda grinned as Shizuki put his hands up in surrender. "Lisa, this is my boyfriend, Hokuto Umeda." Shizuki gestured at his lover. "Hokuto, this is Lisa. She's my dad's vet. assistant."

Umeda nodded his head in greeting. "Nice to meet you."

"It's very nice to meet you. I've heard a lot about you from Mizuki," Lisa replied as she got up and gave the doctor a hug in greeting. Umeda blinked in surprise before giving her a tentative hug back. Was it a girl thing in the states to hug everyone they saw? "Don't worry, sweetie, I just wanted to get my hands on you for a minute. It was hard to resist." She patted his shoulder with a grin.

Umeda chuckled. "You must have read my mind."

"You were practically broadcasting it aloud," Lisa replied with a bright smile. "You're a real handsome guy. Shizuki's got good taste."

"Thanks," he replied.

"So what are you all up to today?" Lisa changed the subject. She looked over at Mizuki and Julia who were checking their beach bags to make sure they had everyone.

Mizuki looked up with an excited smile. "We're going to the beach!"

"I've got all my stuff," Rio said as walked into the room with her bag in hand.

"There's new people all over the place in here," Lisa said.

Rio stopped and eyed up the new person.

"Lisa, that's my sister Rio Umeda. Lisa works for Mizuki's dad, Rio," Umeda introduced the two.

"Nice to meet you," Rio gave the woman a brief bow.

Lisa smiled in delight. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Rio." She walked over to give the girl a hug. Rio seemed less surprised by the gesture than Umeda had been. "Mizuki's told me a lot about you too."

"I was really excited you guys were coming to visit," Mizuki grinned sheepishly.

Julia snickered. "She wouldn't shut up about it."

"Well, she had a good excuse," Lisa remarked. "So you guys are going to the beach, huh?"

"Yeah," Shizuki answered. "You're invited if you'd like to come."

Lisa clapped her hands together. "Alright! I'd love to come. I'd have to run to my place to get my stuff though."

"We're not leaving for another hour," Julia told her.

"Well, I can get my stuff and come back before that." Lisa said.

"Great! You gotta come!" Mizuki grinned.

"We'll wait for you," Shizuki put in. "Actually we'll pick you up on our way out."

Lisa grinned happily. "Perfect! Don't you dare leave without me. I'll see you guys again in a bit!" She hurried out the room. A moment later, they heard the door shut behind her.

/

They actually ended up leaving on time for once. That was a miracle in itself. No one forgot anything. Mrs. Shizuki made sure everyone triple checked their bags for everything they'd need before they left the house. The car was packed in near record time. The parents and the girls all piled into one car while Shizuki and Umeda took the other. They figured out where they wanted to meet up at when they got to the beach then took off to get Lisa. Lisa was sitting on her apartment steps waiting for them when they finally made over to her place. She threw her bag onto the seat and climbed in.

"I thought you had forgotten me," she remarked with a grin. "Since you're so good at doing that."

"Gonna keep rubbing that in, huh?" Shizuki rolled his eyes. "We weren't gonna forget you."

"So I assume we are meeting up with everyone at the usual spot?" Lisa asked as she buckled herself in.

Shizuki nodded. "Yep."

"Who else is going? Just the girls and your parents?" She inquired.

"Gilbert's meeting us there. And all of my friends from school, except Chris. He had to cancel," The blond replied.

"Oh good. I love your friends." She clapped her hands. "Long as Houston doesn't try to flirt with me to much again."

"He's taken now."

"Oh, finally!" She laughed. "So, Hokuto, how you liking your visit to California so far?"

Umeda glanced back at her with a brief smile. "It's been good."

"What's Shizuki taken you out to do so far?"

"We toured U.C. Berkeley, we went clubbing ("Without me!" Lisa cried.), Shizuki took me out for a date in downtown San Francisco, he's shown me the hospital he used to work at, and some other very interesting places." Umeda ticked off the things they'd done so far.

"Interesting places…?" She glanced over at Shizuki and saw his cheeks turn red. "Oh! He took you to the lover's pond, huh? You dirty little sneak!" She laughed as Shizuki got redder and Umeda just smiled wider.

Umeda glanced back curiously. "Wait, how do you know about that spot?"

"Shizuki didn't tell you?" She asked in surprised.

"Lisa…" Shizuki grumbled, in a half irritating slash plaintive tone.

She rolled her eyes. "Stop being a baby. It's way in the past now."

Umeda was only getting more confused. "What's in the past?"

"Shizuki and I were a couple for a while about three years ago. We had a good relationship, but we figured out we just weren't right for each other so we broke up," She shrugged.

"We've stayed good friends though," Shizuki put in.

"Why were you worried about telling me that?" Umeda asked his boyfriend. He really didn't care who the blond dated in the past. God knows he was really somewhat of a whore before Shizuki. He couldn't really begrudge the man the desire to date an attractive woman before he'd finally figured out he was gay.

"It just felt weird, I guess. I mean you've been gay since puberty. Me, I'm still getting used to this and I feel awkward talking about my previous dating experiences when they were all girls," Shizuki admitted with a shrug.

"Oh…well that's kinda silly. There's no reason to feel like that about your dating history," Umeda replied easily. He turned back towards Lisa. "How'd you figure out he wasn't right for you? I know it was you that probably ended it, right?"

She chuckled. "Exactly. You've got him pegged. I could just tell he wasn't all there in the relationship. I mean, he was great in bed and an awesome kisser (as I'm sure you know), but it felt like there was a part of him he wasn't letting me in on."

Shizuki was once again turning red as she told Umeda this. He'd never realized until he'd begun to feel for Umeda how much of himself he'd been holding back. He felt somewhat guilty towards all the women he'd ever dated. He had tried to give them all of his attention, but with every girl he'd been with there had always been a feeling of lacking in the relationship. He didn't even know what it was until he realized he loved Umeda. He looked over to see Umeda smiling at him. He looked up in the rearview mirror to see Lisa giving him the same look.

"What?" He barked.

"You're an idiot," they both said and started to laugh.

He scowled in irritation.

"Well, I'm glad you finally found someone you really love, Shizu," Lisa said sincerely. "It makes me happy to know you've got someone."

"Thanks, Lisa," he dropped the scowl and replaced it with a warm smile that he directed her way via the rearview mirror.

The rest of the car ride was spent with pleasant chatting between all of them. Before long they made it to the beach and down to the usual spot. No one else was around except the Shizuki family car, Gilbert's old beater car, and Sarah's silver Honda. This stretch of the beach was completely theirs. Crystal ran over as they all climbed out of the car. She squealed in delight when she saw Lisa and threw her arms around the other girl. The two laughed excitedly as they hugged.

"Oh my God, I haven't seen you in ages! I'm so glad you came!" Crystal gasped as she finally let go of Lisa.

"It's good to see, you girl! You haven't changed at all," Lisa grinned.

Sarah came over to give the black girl a big hug while Crystal diverted her attention to Umeda, who couldn't escape before she'd grabbed him up in a tight hug. He'd never been hugged more in the rest of his life as he had been here in California. As nice as it was to feel like he was part of the group, the hugging was beginning to get to him. Thankfully she released him rather quickly after he gave her an awkward pat on the back. He breathed a slight sigh of relief and looked over to see Shizuki smirking at him knowingly.

They all made their way down to the beach where the girls as well as Mr. and Mrs. Ashiya had already staged their big umbrella and all their gear. They set down all their stuff to before starting to take off shorts and t-shirts then apply sunscreen. Gilbert and the girls didn't wait for them as they took off towards the water to play. It was only when Shizuki and his friends were ready to go down to the water that they noticed that Umeda was still wearing his t-shirt.

"Why are you wearing that shirt still. It's hot. Take it off." Houston remarked.

Umeda shook his head. "I don't feel like getting sunburned."

"You won't get sunburned if you take off that stupid shirt and let me put some sun block on you." Shizuki rolled his eyes.

"I don't like how greasy that stuff feels."

"Stop being a baby." The blond said.

"I'm not being a baby."

"We're not gonna wait for you if you don't want to come play in the water with us," Sarah told Umeda.

Umeda looked grumpy for a minute. He really hated getting sun burned. He hated sun block almost as much, but he didn't want to be left out either. He felt like the little brother everyone was trying to get rid of, because he was being a brat. He sighed to himself. "Fine, Shizuki can put sun block on me."

"Good. We'll meet you all out there in a few minutes, ok?" Shizuki smiled at the rest of his friends.

"Alright, but don't take to long," Crystal grinned before grabbing Lisa and Sarah's hand, then dragging them off towards the beach. Houston trotted after them.

Shizuki walked back to the place where the girls had piled their bags and his parents had set up their umbrella. He glanced back at the water to see Gilbert and the girls already out teaching Rio how to body surf. His friends were just splashing into the water. His parents were off walking the shoreline. He and Umeda were alone for a few minutes. He set down his bag, pulled out a beach towel and laid it, then found his bottle of sun block buried at the bottom of the bag.

"Sit down," he directed Umeda, pointing at the towel.

"You'd think with how far technology has gone they'd find a way to devise non-greasy sun block." Umeda grumbled as he dropped down to sit cross legged on the towel.

Shizuki shook his head and smiled to himself as he knelt down behind his boyfriend. "They have. We just didn't buy it. It's more expensive. This stuff works just as well."

"They lied any ways. There's no such thing as non-greasy sun block. It's like UFOs and aliens," Umeda replied.

"Are you gonna take off your shirt or am I gonna have to do it for you?" The blond played shoved his lover in the shoulder.

Umeda glanced back at him with a coy grin. "How about you do it for me?"

Shizuki laughed and wrapped his arms around the doctor to reach for the buttons of his shirt. "You're such an attention whore when you want to be."

"No, I just like having an excuse to get you to touch me." Umeda leaned back against the blond's chest and closed his eyes. He smiled when Shizuki's hands slipped inside his shirt to run over the smooth plane of stomach before dipping the tips of his fingers teasingly down the top of his swim trunks. Umeda grunted in annoyance when those fingers slipped away before he even got to enjoy anything. Shizuki chuckled in his ear at his obvious irritation. He pushed the shirt off the doctor's shoulders, folded it carefully, and placed it in his bag. "Tease." Umeda hissed as he watched the blond squeeze sun block into the palm of his hand.

"You wanted me to take your shirt off. You didn't ask for anything else," Shizuki said loftily, then slapped his sun blocked filled palm against Umeda's back.

Umeda yelped at the sudden slimy feeling on his skin. He shuddered as the blond smeared it across his skin in one long swipe. "Ugh, hurry up! That stuff feels disgusting."

"Stop acting like a girl," Shizuki murmured in his ear. He began to rub his hands over Umeda's back, making sure to cover every bare inch with a layer of the slimy lotion. He started at the small of the doctor's back and worked upwards, making sure to drop teasing kisses on Umeda's neck as he worked. By the time his hands had reached the doctor's shoulders, Umeda was beginning to breathe a bit shallow. "See, it wasn't that bad."

"If everyone put sun block on that way maybe I wouldn't hate it so much." Umeda remarked.

"True. Here put some on your face." Shizuki squeezed some of the sun block into Umeda's hand. "I'll finish up with your arms and chest."

Umeda had to force himself to concentrate as the blond worked the lotion over each arm with smooth, firm strokes of his palm. He was sure by the time Shizuki's hands touched his chest that the entire beach could see erection that was trying to tent the front of his shorts. He groaned as Shizuki's fingers kneaded sun block into his skin. He could tell the blond was deliberately going slow to drive him crazy. He growled under his breath when Shizuki tweaked a nipple and nibbled the side of his ear. "If you keep doing that the entire beach is going to see me hold you down and fuck you until I get my satisfaction." He threatened Shizuki.

The blond laughed and pulled his hands away to wave them in the air in a gesture of surrender. "Alright, I'm done."

"Damn tease."

Shizuki grinned. "I think we should go join the others before they start to wonder what we are doing."

"You mean besides you trying to seduce me?"

"I was doing no such thing. You were imagining it," Shizuki smirked as he stood up and reached down to help the doctor up too.

Umeda grabbed his hand then yanked downwards. The blond stumbled and fell right into the doctor's lap with a yelp. Umeda palmed the Shizuki's erection with a cheeky smile. "I imagined it, huh?" The blond's cheeks flamed bright red at the blatant move the doctor was making. Umeda squeezed him through his trunks before moving his hand away. "I suppose you're right though. We better go find your friends." He pushed Shizuki off his lap and got to his feet.

Shizuki glowered and grabbed a handful of sand. "You think you can just walk away after doing something like that in front of the entire beach?"

Umeda shrugged without turning around as he started to walk away. "Why not? What are you gonna do about it?"

The blond scrambled to his feet before hurrying after the doctor. He trotted up behind Umeda, grabbed the back of his pants, and dumped the handful of sand down Umeda's ass before the doctor even knew what he was doing. He laughed when Umeda yelped in disgust. The blond took off running before Umeda could grab for him. Umeda cursed at him before he took off after him. He chased the blond all the down to the water and out into the waves. He didn't catch the blond until they were more than waist deep into the water. He tackled the blond low in the back and they both went over in a heap. Water flew everywhere as they scrambled, twisted, and battled with each other; one trying to get away while the other struggled to hang on. They only broke apart when a wave suddenly swept up and smacked them in the face. Both sat up sputtering, trying desperately to wipe stinging sea water out of their eyes, and catch their breath.

Shizuki glanced over at Umeda and burst out laughing. "You should see yourself! Your hair's standing on end and your swim trunks are about to fall off your ass!" He continued chortling as Umeda readjusted his clothing with a look of wounded dignity on his face.

"Who's fault is it that my trunks are almost off? I distinctly remember you trying to de-pants me at one point," Umeda replied haughtily.

"Well, you can't really blame me. You do look very good with no pants on," the blond replied with a silly smirk.

Umeda rolled his eyes. "Kiss up. That's not gonna make me forgive you for putting sand down my pants. I'm gonna be digging that out of my ass for days."

"I'm not helping with that expedition."

"It's about time you guys came out here," they heard Crystal yell from a distance away.

They looked over to see her and the others wading towards them.

"I saw you try to yank his pants off, Shizuki," Houston winked at his friend. "I was a little disappointed when you didn't succeed."

"Well, as fine as I think my body is I'd rather not display it for the entire world," Umeda replied, retying the string on his trunks.

"What a shame," Sarah remarked with a mock sigh of sorrow.

"So we brought boogie boards! Who wants to be the first to use them!" Crystal held up one brightly colored foam board.

Shizuki laughed as he reached over to grab one. "Have you used one before, Umeda?"

"No," the doctor replied eyeing said board with skepticism.

"Well, I'll show you. It's a lot of fun. A lot easier than surfing."

Umeda wasn't quite sure he'd agree to that statement later.

/

A 1/4 mile down the beach Gilbert was body surfing with Rio, Mizuki, and Julia. He was having fun teaching Rio how to catch a wave probably in order to ride it all the way into shore. He thought half the fun of hanging out with girls at the beach was having an excuse to eye them up in their bikinis. He definitely felt like a helluva lucky guy to be hanging out with not one, but three pretty damn fine women. Each of them had a great body in her own right. Mizuki would always be flat chested, but her tiny waist and shapely legs made up for the boobs. Julia had a rake and ass on her that would make just about any girl jealous. It was Rio though that he thought was the cutest of the three. She had a nice set of boobs, trim little hips, and a lovely set of legs he'd love to get lost between. She was the perfect shape he thought. He really wanted to get his hands on her. It was such a tease to be so close to her and have to restrain himself, but he prided himself on being a gentleman now.

He had caught Rio sneaking glances at him too. He grinned when he met her eyes. She flushed bright red and spun around to talk to Mizuki. He chuckled to himself. He knew he looked pretty good. He'd been working hard to get muscle definition back into his arms, chest, stomach, and legs after years of being unable to exercise and play like other boys. He was lucky he hadn't gotten tremendously fat from all the surgery and home rest he'd been forced to endure. He was all worth it now he thought if it meant this cute girl was taking notice of him.

Rio was having a blast learning to body surf. She'd never gotten a chance to learn before back home. She didn't leave very close to the beach. The few times she'd gotten to go to one had been sort of a bust. It was so great to finally be with friends and get to actually play in the water. She was having a hard time keeping her eyes off Gilbert though. He was lot more muscular than she'd thought under his clothes. She kept finding her eyes drawn to that dark trail of hair that started at his belly button and dipped below his swim trunks. The V of his hips just seemed to draw her eyes there. She had almost missed a few waves from trying not to stare and failing miserably.

"Nice eye candy, huh?" Julia whispered in her ear as they waited for another wave to come.

Rio flushed bright red and looked over to see if he'd heard. He was busy joking with Mizuki though. She let out a sigh of relief. "Yeah." She agreed simply.

"Kinda makes you wonder what the whole package looks like," Julia smirked, letting her eyes drift down to Gilbert's crotch blatantly.

"Julia!" Rio hissed, cheeks getting redder still. "You're awful."

Julia laughed delightedly at her friend's reaction. Gilbert looked over to see what was going on. He smiled when he saw Julia laughing and Rio blushing. He had some idea what the topic had been without even having to hear the conversation. He glanced back. "Wave!"

They all got ready.

"Wait for it!...Go!"

They all jumped and surfed their way into the shore, laughing madly as they were dumped gracelessly into the sand. Julia clambered to her feet and grabbed Mizuki's hand to help her up. Gilbert did the same for Rio.

"Hey, Mizuki, you wanna go find seashell hunting with me? I wanna make a sandcastle and decorate it!" Julia exclaimed.

Mizuki clapped her hands excitedly. "I haven't made a sandcastle in a long time! Sure, I'll come! What about you guys?" She turned back to Rio and Gilbert.

Rio looked torn. She glanced back at Gilbert a touch longingly.

"Want me to teach you to jump waves?" Gilbert asked innocently.

"Yes!" She said happily. "I'm gonna stay with Gilbert if that's ok."

Mizuki grinned. "Alright! We'll see yah later! Don't lose sight of our spot on the beach!"

"We won't go that far," Gilbert assured her.

Julia dragged Mizuki away. "C'mon, Mizuki!"

Gilbert took Rio's hand and led her back out into the waves. The two laughed as they fought their way back into the water until they were a little more that waist deep. Gilbert explained the art of wave jumping, which was a lot like body surfing in Rio's mind. He kept hold of her hand as the first wave swept forward to meet them. They jumped and got slung backward by the small wall of water. Rio giggled delightedly as she touched back down again. The two worked their way back into deeper water and began the process all over again. They jumped waves until their stomachs hurt from laughing while their legs began to burn from jumping and slogging through water.

"Last one alright! Then we'll go back in for dinner!" Gilbert half called over the noise of the ocean.

"O-." The next wave crashed into them before she could finish her sentence. It slammed over them, ripping their hands apart and tossing them around under the water. Gilbert came up spluttering and scrambling to get his feet back under him. He glanced around half panicked as he searched for Rio. He had tried to hang on to her hand, but he'd lost his grip. He felt a jab of fear for a split second. Then suddenly Rio surfaced beside him. She gasped as her head broke above the water and then she regained her footing. Gilbert felt a wave of relief wash over him before he realized one very crucial thing.

Rio's top had come untied.

His heart leapt into his throat when he realized she was standing in front of him completely bare breasted. Oh God, forgive him, because he got an instant hard on. Those were the most beautiful pair of boobs he'd ever seen—porn models and ex-girlfriends included. His mouth went dry with sheer want. She glanced down to see what he was staring at and squeaked in horror. Her hands flew up to cover herself, but it was far to late. Gilbert spun around to give her a little privacy to put her bikini top back on. There was a moment of awkward silence as he waited for her to tell him it was safe to turn around.

"Ummm, Gilbert?"

"Yeah?"

Rio swallowed hard. "Could you…tie the strings for me? I can't get it."

Oh, dear Lord. He was being tested. He knew it! This was torture! "Sure." He turned around to see her back to him. Her hands were behind her neck holding out the strings for him to take. He tied the strings as fast as possible with shaking fingers. It took a lot of effort to resist the urge to rip the rest of her bikini off and just touch her all over to his heart's content. He bit his lip as he finally got it tied then double knotted for good measure.

"Alright." He reached down to take her hand and turn her around. "I think we better go back to shore before anything else happens."

She nodded. "That was really embarrassing."

Gilbert swallowed and glanced over to see her looking at him. Her cheeks were still slightly flushed. "For what it's worth, you shouldn't be embarrassed. You've got a beautiful body."

"T-Thanks," she stammered, looking away quickly as her cheeks flamed bright red again.

He squeezed her hand and slowly walked her back into to dry land.

/

Shizuki, Umeda, and the others stayed out in the water boogie boarding for a while before they decided to head in. A glance over at the others saw Gilbert and the girls still body surfing. Mr. and Mrs. Ashiya were walking along ankle deep in the water up the shoreline. Further up, Crystal had spotted a volley ball net much to everyone's horror.

"Oh, we are so playing volley ball!" Crystal exclaimed with a big grin. She ran to her bag and returned with a ball before any of them could protest. "You can't come to the beach and not play volleyball!"

"You're the only one that thinks that," Houston teased her as he pulled on a ball cap to shade his eyes.

"So! We're all gonna play! We have enough people for 3 person teams! We'll play girls against guys." She said. "It's perfect."

"Perfect for you," Shizuki grinned. "We'll get our asses handed to us."

Umeda looked slightly offended. "I'm actually semi-decent at volleyball, thank you."

"What? Since when?" Shizuki asked in surprise.

"Since high school." Umeda shrugged. "Everyone had to be involved in one sport in Osaka High. I did volleyball, because I hate running."

"Maybe we're not doomed then," Houston grinned.

Lisa grabbed the ball from Crystal. "Don't start getting your hopes up."

Shizuki shrugged at the sudden hope that died in Houston's eyes. "Let's just play. C'mon. It'll be fun," he trotted towards the net.

"See, that's the right attitude!" Crystal agreed, running after him.

"I hope you can make up for two dismal players," Houston laughed as he and Umeda walked towards the net.

"I can try."

"Good luck," Sarah smirked.

The volleyball game was somewhat of massacre. Umeda actually managed to score a few points despite Shizuki and Houston's abysmal playing. Yet, for every point he scored the girls always got two or three more right afterwards. He didn't mind though. He was actually having a lot of fun. It'd been such a long time since he played any games. He still kept himself in shape but that was entirely different . He enjoyed the time spent watching Shizuki play just as badly as he said, but laughing and having a good time anyways. Houston's wild serves were hilarious. Crystal's prowess at the game sort of surprised Umeda. He knew she was smart under all that bubbly nature. It was amazing to see her play the game though with such focus. Lisa was pretty damn good herself. Sarah did fairly well at backing up her team mates. It was a distinctively lop sided game of skills, but it didn't matter. This game wasn't about winning. The competition was mild at best, which was so different than what he was used to. Everything in school, college, and work had always seemed like a competition. It seemed ingrained to constantly feel like you had to set and reach a goal for everything you did. It was relaxing to just do something for the sake of it.

Eventually they lost track of the score. They all agreed that the women had beat the guys soundly. They started another game; this time switching up the players. Umeda, Lisa, and Sarah on one side with Shizuki, Crystal, and Houston on the other. That game was much more evenly matched in skills level. Umeda actually managed to get his team to win that game by one point. He was quite proud of that.

By the time the game was over they were all starving. They were more than relieved when Mrs. Ashiya called them over for dinner. Umeda noticed Gilbert and Rio coming in from the water, hand in hand, with matching flushed expressions. He let one eyebrow quirk up as his sister drew closer. She smiled a little apprehensively. He had a feeling something had happened but he left her alone about it. He was getting to like Gilbert. He trusted the guy now. He couldn't blame his sister liking the blond. He was pretty damn cute. Julia and Mizuki had made a massive sand castle. He was actually amazed by the amount of detail they'd added to it.

Dinner passed with a lot of laughter, storytelling, and good food. He watched his sister sit close to Gilbert like she was reluctant to even leave his side. He could tell she had it bad for the guy. It was cute, but he didn't want her to be upset when it was time to go home. He had a feeling though that he didn't need to worry about that. He watched the interaction between Sarah and Houston with equal interest. He found it amusing that two such different people worked so perfectly together. He could say the same about he and Shizuki though.

After dinner, Gilbert and the girls all took off on a walk down the beach. Crystal coerced Lisa, Houston, and Sarah back out into the water. Umeda looked up when Shizuki grabbed his hand and tugged him gently to his feet.

"C'mon, we're gonna go for a walk."

"How romantic," Umeda smirked.

Shizuki shoved him playfully. "So what if I wanna be a little bit romantically clique."

"Should wait until the sun is setting then," Umeda teased.

"Stop trying to wreck the moment," Shizuki mock glared at him.

Umeda remained quiet after that. He was more than content to walk next to Shizuki as they wandered down the beach. The occasional wave came up to lick at their toes. They avoided a few washed up jelly fish, which Umeda couldn't help but poke with a stray piece of stick. Shizuki laughed at him, making Umeda pitch the ugly blob of a creature at him. They continued on their way. Shizuki scooped up a piece of ocean smoothed driftwood. They turned back the way they'd come when the sun began to fall behind the horizon.

When they got back the others were already packing up their belongings. It was time to go home. It was the end of a great day, Umeda thought. It had been fun and relaxing. This might be one of his favorite days yet during his vacation here. He squeezed Shizuki's hand and was rewarded with a calm smile. They helped the others finish packing and cleaning up their area before loading everything back into the cars. Good byes were exchanged between Umeda and Shizuki's friends before they piled into Sarah's Honda to go home. Lisa climbed into Shizuki's car, tired and more than ready to go home too. Umeda watched his sister talk earnestly to Julia and Mizuki about something while Gilbert stood a few respectful feet away. He had a feeling he knew what it was about. He wasn't wrong when he saw the two girls get into the Ashiya parents car. A moment later, they to pulled out of the parking lot and on to the road, leaving the rest of them behind to meet up with them back at the house.

He walked over to where his sister was standing next to Gilbert. "You're staying?"

"Yeah, if that's ok," Rio clasped her hands nervously. Umeda tried not to smile. He'd never seen his sister anxious about his input about a boy. He found it amusing.

"It's fine. Just be safe," he replied. He tracked his gaze over to Gilbert and gave him a hard look. "And you better take care of her. No funny business."

Gilbert put his hands up in a surrender gesture. "I promise I'll be a gentleman."

"I'll hold you to that," Umeda said seriously. He was a little impressed when the blond haired boy didn't quell beneath his glare. "Have fun. And don't stay out to late."

"Yes, mother," Rio smirked at him.

Umeda rolled his eyes. "Be glad she's not around. You wouldn't get any alone time." With that he turned and walked back to Shizuki's car. He climbed in, buckled his seat belt, and looked over to see his boyfriend giving him a knowing smile. "What?"

"I'm very proud of you for letting your sister stay with Gilbert," Shizuki said with a grin.

Lisa sniggered in the back seat as Umeda crossed his arms and scowled at him. "Oh shut up," Umeda growled.

"Come on. Let's go home," The blond laughed.


	11. Chapter 11

The days slipped by in contentment. Almost every day Shizuki found somewhere to take Umeda. The doctor was enjoying the time with his boyfriend. He wasn't surprised anymore to find he was enjoying the time with Shizuki's family as well. At first, he had been anxious. It was always nerve wrecking to meet the significant other's family. Now, he felt fairly comfortable with everyone, even Mr. Ashiya. He was actually pleased to see Rio spending time with Gilbert. He was still worried about her being upset when they had to leave, but it was to late to stop it now. He, of course, had waited up for them when they came back that night after the day trip to the beach. She had rolled her eyes at him, but he was happy to see that Gilbert had been gentlemanly to her.

The days leading up to the Independence Day celebration about to overtake the city was somewhat insane. He'd had no idea that the 4th of July was such a big deal. Flags were going up everywhere. Red, white, and blue seemed to be on every surface in town. All the people seemed to be getting more and more excited as the day drew closer. Lawn chairs were lining the main street in anticipation of the big parade that would weave its way through town. According to Shizuki there was a whole schedule of how the day was supposed to go down. At least, according to the Ashiya family.

With that said, he should have been prepared for when Mizuki banged their bedroom door open on morning of the 4th yelling for them to get up. Shizuki was out of bed and moving in about 5 seconds flat. Umeda groaned in agony, pulling the pillow back over his head. He ignored the sounds of his boyfriend getting dressed and tried to go back to sleep. He raised himself of up, snarling angrily, when the blankets were ripped off his naked body.

"Come on, lazy! We'll miss the parade!" Shizuki grinned at his lover's expression.

"So?" Umeda's head flopped back onto the pillow.

Shizuki rolled his eyes. "Don't be like that. Come on. I'll make sure there's a fresh cup of coffee waiting on the table when you come downstairs." He disappeared out of the room a moment later.

Umeda sighed heavily before forcing himself to get up. He drew on his clothes with apathy. He staggered down the stairs barely away of anything in front of him. Shizuki gently guided him into a chair and pressed a mug of coffee into his hands. The conversation at the table buzzed around him. They were all more than used to his shitty morning attitude by now. They ignored him until he was aware enough to talk to people. He was fine with that. He managed to get down his cup of coffee and a slice of toast before they hurried him out the door. He wanted to kiss Mrs. Ashiya when she pressed a travel mug of coffee into his hand.

It seemed somewhat surreal when he finally found himself sitting by the curb in a lawn chair with Shizuki, his family, Julia, and Rio all around him. He blinked down at his travel cup of coffee and tried to remember how he got there. He didn't even really remember the car ride. He listened to the others chatter around him in excitement as he sipped at his coffee. Gradually he began to wake up.

"So when does this parade start?" he finally asked Shizuki.

"10:00am," his boyfriend replied, promptly.

Umeda glanced down at the watch on Shizuki's wrist. It read 8:55am. Umeda's eye twitched. "So we got woken up at 7:30?"

"We wanted good seats," Julia explained like it was obvious and she couldn't understand why that was such a problem.

The doctor rolled his eyes.

"Hokuto, don't," Shizuki patted his arm. "Relax and enjoy the parade."

"Fine," he sighed.

Admittedly the parade was pretty awesome. The college and high school bands were actually really good. He ignored the cheerleaders with their stupid little outfits. The police officers on horseback were mostly hot. For some reason, seeing a man controlling such a powerful animal was a turn on to Umeda. There were some pretty awesome cars that he wished Japan had more of or could import. It was fun to have Shizuki pointing out all his favorite things. He watched Julia, Mizuki, and Rio run into the street with the rest of the kids to catch candy. He was more than pleased when he got a fistful of candy pressed into his hand from his sister. He was surprised to find he was actually having fun.

When it was over Mrs. Ashiya rushed them all back to the house to set up for the party they had planned. Umeda was informed that it would be a lunch party so that they could go down to the Marina in the evening to enjoy the events taking place there as well as the fireworks. Chairs were arranged around the backyard. A fold up table was put up next the picnic table. Both were spread with checkered table clothes. He helped Shizuki make macaroni salad, while Mizuki and Julia made a potato salad. Rio was busy helping Gilbert bake cupcakes. Umeda didn't even know when the blond college boy had shown up.

It wasn't long before guests began to arrive around noon. Umeda was pleased to see Sarah, Crystal, Houston, Lisa, and Chris. The house and backyard was filled with chatter, laughter, and music. It was something Umeda had not experienced. He was used to events like his family Christmas party where he never had fun. It felt so forced. His relatives always felt like they were there to show off. It didn't have this carefree feeling that the Ashiya party did. People were here to have fun and enjoy each other's company. In less than half an hour, the picnic tables were loaded down with food. Amusingly, Mrs. Ashiya manned the grill and refused to let her husband touch it. It was the source of an ongoing joke through the guests of the party. There were more people than he would have imagined could fit comfortably in the house and the backyard. Yet, weirdly he didn't feel overwhelmed or annoyed by it.

Shizuki introduced him to family friends and relatives as his boyfriend, which pleased him to no end. He was even happier that most did not flinch or like shocked when he was introduced. Most of them were fairly accepting even the ones that didn't seem to pleased about it. They at least were polite anyways. Shizuki's friends made sure to keep dragging him into their circle to talk, laugh, and swap stories. He felt more and more that they were his friends now too, not just Shizuki's. Umeda was coerced into telling the tale of how he seduced Shizuki again only to a much larger crowd this time. Shizuki was teased mercilessly afterwards.

"Wait, you both know Akiha Hara?" Someone asked.

"Yes, unfortunately," Umeda rolled his eyes. "I went to high school with him."

"Wow, that's really cool! He's such a famous photographer. I'm jealous. I'd love to meet him!"

Shizuki coughed to cover up his laugh. "He's definitely one of a kind."

"So listen to this everyone!" Mr. Ashiya broke in, slinging his arm around Shizuki's shoulders. "My son is now a certified doctor! How about that!"

A cheer went up among the guests and calls of congratulations for Shizuki's achievement. Soon the food was announced that it was ready to be eaten. After a brief blessing there was a stampede for the picnic tables. Umeda waited until the rush died down before going up to make a plate. He regarded the tables with a bit of wonder. It was his first real view of an American traditional cookout spread of food. There were burgers, hot dogs, grilled chicken, all kinds of salads, cole slaw, chips, rolls, bowls of fruit, cookies, cupcakes, brownies, and some things he didn't even know by name. He wasn't really sure where to start, but by the end of the table his plate was piled high.

"Think you got enough, Umeda?" Sarah teased.

"Have to try a little of everything, right?" He replied easily.

Chris nodded. "You have too. Everyone does. It's part of the tradition."

"There's a lot of weird traditions packed into this day," Umeda remarked before munching a burger.

"Well, ever family has their own traditions for all the holidays, but certain American holidays have unspoken traditions that go along with them. Like fireworks, parades, stuffing yourself until you're sick, and things like that," Lisa put in. "Wait that goes for most holidays."

They laughed.

"So basically it's the same as everywhere else in the world. Holidays are an excuse to feast and get drunk," Umeda said.

"Yes, exactly. Americans just perfected it," Houston grinned.

"Well, there is a reason everyone thinks Americans are lazy party animals," the doctor teased.

"Hey now, we earned that stigma honestly. It took a lot of hard work." Sarah laughed.

"Besides, the rest of the world wouldn't have hamburgers without us!" Crystal piped up.

They all looked at her then lost it.

"Burgers are important." Chris agreed with her statement.

The rest of the cookout seemed to pass by quickly. Umeda caught glimpses of the girls and Gilbert, chasing puppies across the backyard with a group of kids. He saw Rio sitting next to Gilbert later on with her hand in his. He watched Mr. and Mrs. Ashiya mingle with their party guests, smiling and happy. The atmosphere of the party was warm and pleasant. Umeda appreciated every moment he had with these people, friends and family alike (because now he did consider the Ashiyas to be extended family).

At about 4:30 the party began to break off. People began to say their good byes and head out to other places. Most were also going to the Marina for the events and fireworks. So it was more like the party was relocating, not ending. They hurried to clear off the picnic tables and wrap up the food. Shizuki's friends all stayed to help so they could all ride over to the Marina together. Gilbert and the girls left before they had finished cleaning up. It didn't really bother Umeda or anyone else. They were teenagers. It was expected.

They were soon on their way to the Marina as well. Umeda was amazed by how packed the place was when they arrived. Finding parking was an adventure in itself. It felt like they had to walk a mile just to get down to where everything was going on. Music was blaring; there were kids everywhere, laughter and talk, and the crush of people. He stuck close to Shizuki, not wanting to get lost. They all wandered through the craft booths together. Umeda was impressed by all the different kinds of crafts that were on display. There was so much to look at and Shizuki was more than willing to walk around to every booth with him, holding hands.

They were wandering towards where the band was playing (having agreed to meet up with everyone there at 8:00) when someone grabbed Shizuki by the elbow and yanked him around.

"Hey, Shizu, long time no see," a tall, jock looking type guy sneered down at the blond.

Umeda immediately felt his hackles bristle. This guy was no friend, judging by Shizuki's tense reaction.

"Not long enough, Blake," Shizuki spat.

Blake's eyes swept away from the blond to the mahogany haired man that was holding Shizuki's hand. He sneered at Umeda, making the doctor that much more edgy. "I see you finally stopped pretending to be straight. Always knew you were a fag, Shizuki."

Shizuki opened his mouth to snap back, but Umeda had already stepped in.

"At least he can admit it," the doctor remarked, glaring disdainfully at the wanna be macho man. "No one likes overly masculine men who are compensating for something. Everyone knows guys like that are secretly afraid of being found out that they like sucking cock."

Blake flushed angrily. "You fucker. I am not a faggot like you."

"Yeah sure, big guy. You keep telling yourself that when you're riding your dildo tonight." He arched an eyebrow up at Blake condescendingly.

"You motherfucker, I'm gonna-," the jock clenched his fists and began to move towards him.

Umeda stood his ground. "What?" The doctor's glare turned challenging. His fierce tiger eyes seemed to promise it would be one hell of a fight. Shizuki even had to force himself not to step away from his boyfriend. He'd never seen the man look like that. Blake stopped in his tracks—hands half raised. A moment later, the jock dropped them to his side as he backed off.

"You better watch your mouth," Blake snapped, clearly uneasy about the smaller man, yet upset at being forced to back down.

"Just go away. You've made yourself look like enough of an ass," Umeda spat dismissively.

Blake scowled before glancing around to see several other onlookers milling about them. A moment later, he stalked off—trying to look like he'd won the argument, not the other way around. Shizuki dragged his fingers down his face with a shaky sigh. "You didn't need to defend me." He muttered to the doctor.

"Yes, I did. You don't have to take that. And what would you have done otherwise?" Umeda asked, as Shizuki began to lead him towards the band and the dance area once more.

"I don't know. I don't have that 'I'm about to remove your balls through your ass' look that you do," Shizuki remarked with a smile.

Umeda grinned. "You'd never be able to pull it off anyways."

"Have you ever been in a fight?"

"Nope. Glare stops them every time. They don't need to know that I am the most pansy assed fighter ever," Umeda's grinned broadened.

Shizuki burst out laughing. "Amazing." He sobered after a few seconds. "Thank you, Hokuto."

"You're welcome."

They met the others just like they had planned at the band stand. There were already people out dancing on the 'floor.' The two smiled when they watched Gilbert invite Rio to dance. He looked a little nervous, running his fingers through his blond hair, as he asked. Rio agreed with a bright smile and let him lead her out onto the dance floor. The song playing had a good beat that Gilbert followed easily. Rio followed his lead naturally like they danced with each other all the time. It was amusing to see the relief on Rio's face when she realized Gilbert was actually a good dancer after only a few seconds out on the floor with him. He twirled her around with a laugh and she giggled as she spun back to face him. They looked happy, like the whole world had disappeared around them.

"You look envious," Umeda remarked to a certain girl standing next to him.

Mizuki jumped and blushed guiltily. "I miss Sano," she said honestly. That was what was making her a little sad at the moment.

"Ah," the doctor sighed. "I'm sure he misses you, but…"

She looked up at him. "What?"

"I think he'd want you to smile and have fun."

Mizuki smiled. "Yeah. You're right."

"Of course, I am. Now come dance with me." He smiled.

She laughed and took his proffered hand. "Ok!"

Umeda smiled down at her as he began to dance. She was a little rusty, but quickly remembered the steps. In a few minutes, her steps came easier and more gracefully. He began to try more difficult steps then to spin her. She followed his moves well and he was proud of her. She had grown up so much since he'd first met her. She really had become a beautiful young woman.

Julia pouted as she watched her two friends dance with gorgeous guys. "So unfair," she grumbled, crossing her arms. "Why am I always left on the side?"

"How about dancing with me?" Shizuki asked with a grin.

She smirked. "You sure?"

"Yes, I am. Come dance with me, Julia. We'll show them how it's done," he chuckled.

"Alright!" She grabbed his hand and dragged him out onto the floor. Shizuki laughed as she arranged his arms.

"You know I'm supposed to lead, right?" he asked.

She rolled her eyes. "Yeah, c'mon!"

He shook his head before leading her off into a dance. She followed him enthusiastically, almost over flourishing her steps. He adjusted the distance between them and the placement of his arms so that he was more comfortable. In a few minutes, they were moving more in sync. "Just, just have fun."

"Ok," she relented with a little pout. It turned into a smile a second later. "Thanks, Shizuki."

"You're welcome."

"Well, sweetheart, it looks like the girls have all found a partner," Mr. Ashiya sighed.

Mrs. Ashiya smiled. "No rushing in to save the day."

"I wouldn't say that. There's still one lady without a dance partner." He wiggled his eyebrows at her.

"Honey, you have two left feet." She laughed.

He mock scowled. "So? Come dance with me."

"Oh alright," she continued to chuckle. "Don't step on my feet."

"I won't." He promised, but of course he did. She didn't care.

"Looking good, Mizuki!" Julia called as Shizuki danced them closer to the pair.

Mizuki looked over with a big smile. "You too!"

"Wanna trade?"

"You don't like dancing with Shizuki?"

Julia rolled her eyes. "I do, but I wanna dance with Umeda too!"

"Hell no, crazy girl. You have cooties!" Umeda protested.

"Well, you have guy germs but you don't see me complaining," Julia replied.

Shizuki laughed, spinning Julia over to Umeda. His boyfriend caught her easily and sent Mizuki over to her brother. Julia looked extremely pleased to finally be dancing with the sexy Umeda. She'd secretly always wanted to get her hands on him just a little. What girl could resist a chance to be held in the arms of such a gorgeous guy—even if he was gay?

"It's been a long time since we danced," Shizuki remarked to his sister.

"That's because I was terrible," she laughed.

"You're very good now. What changed?"

"I wanted to dance with Sano at a party. I worked so hard to be good enough to dance with him," she admitted with a blush.

Shizuki smiled a bit sadly. "You really love him. He better be grateful."

A hand suddenly settled on the blond's shoulder. He tensed, fearing that it was Blake from before. Both Mizuki and Shizuki gasped in surprise when they heard a familiar voice break into their conversation.

"I am grateful. Do you mind if I cut in?" Sano stood smiling behind them.

"Oh my God, Sano!" Mizuki cried, launching herself at the boy she loved.

Shizuki stepped back with a smile as the two embraced. "Glad you could make it," the blond said when the two finally broke apart for a moment.

"I got a little lost on the way from the airport so I was a little late." Sano admitted. "But I made it here."

"Wait, Shizuki, you knew about this?" Mizuki gapped her brother.

Shizuki looked innocently down at his sister. "I might have bought his plane ticket here and told him when to meet us at the Marina on the dance floor."

Mizuki looked overwhelmed for a moment. She glanced between her boyfriend and her brother in astonishment before reaching over to hug Shizuki so hard he thought his ribs might crack. "Thank you so much!"

"No, Mizuki, thank you," Shizuki hugged her back. "This was a gift for supporting me and Umeda as well as helping me find the courage to confess my love to Umeda."

"You're welcome. I just wanted you to be happy." She replied with a sniffle.

"And I want the same thing for you. Now go enjoy your time with Sano," he released her and gently pushed her back into Sano's waiting arms. The music changed a moment later to something softer and gentler. He smiled as the two teens slow danced across the floor, completely lost in each other's eyes. He looked over when he felt Umeda come to stand beside him. The doctor slipped his arm around Shizuki's waist and squeezed gently.

"That was a great thing you did," Umeda remarked.

Shizuki looked over. "Yeah. I love you."

"I love you too."

For the first time in front of a crowd of people, Shizuki leaned over and kissed Umeda for all he was worth. Umeda thought it was absolutely perfect.

/

At 9:30 the fireworks started off the end of the Berkeley Pier to the sound of boisterous music and cheering. Shizuki and Umeda stood hand in hand, watching them light up the night sky in an array of colors—each more breathtaking than the last. Their friends and family stood around them so that they were cocooned in a crowd of warmth, love, excitement, and happiness. Umeda thought he could understand why the 4th of July was such a great American holiday tradition. Surrounded by good people, great food, and good cheer it was hard for Umeda not to enjoy it. The finale of fireworks exploded across the sky in a thunderous display of colors, flashing lights, and triumphant music. It was the perfect close to a great day.

Happy 4th of July!


	12. Chapter 12

It was the last day of their stay in California. Umeda was actually sad about it. He had really enjoyed his time here. He felt it had truly proved the permanence of his relationship with Shizuki. Sure, they had a healthy sex life and a good relationship. Yet, here in Shizuki's home town, he had really learned a lot about the man he'd fallen in love with. He felt closer to the blond now. He would also kinda miss the family mornings here. Even if he wasn't a morning person, he had grown somewhat fond of being at the table in the morning to greet people. He was thinking all this while enjoying his morning coffee and reading over the section of the newspaper Mr. Ashiya had finished.

"Ah!" Mr. Ashiya suddenly jumped up and waved a section of the newspaper. "Eiko! My veterinary clinic won the best animal hospital award in Berkeley! I can't believe it!"

"Congratulations honey!" Mrs. Ashiya grinned. "Let me see." She took the paper and read over the awards section for the summer contest. "This is wonderful!"

Umeda smiled slightly as the paper got passed around for everyone to look out while more congratulations were extended. This was the kind of family he wouldn't mind living near. He loved his family, but they were nuts. He didn't want to spend extended periods of time around them. Although, he had learned a lot about his little sister on this trip. He felt like he understood her better. She wasn't a little girl anymore. She was turning into a woman. He had realized it before, but there had never been the boy factor involved until now. She would be going to college soon. She might be married in a few years. This trip had made him realize that he needed to step back to let her finish growing up. He had protected her long enough. That didn't mean he was gonna quit by any means, just step back a ways.

He blinked when a different section of the newspaper was pressed into his hand.

"Look," Shizuki grinned, pointing out the big announcement of the winners for the summer business contest in Berkeley.

Umeda read over the part where the Ashiya Animal Clinic had been awarded best veterinary clinic. "This is pretty prestigious, huh? Congratulations. This will get you a lot of recognition. You might find yourself overwhelmed with more customers. " Umeda smiled as he handed the paper back to Mr. Ashiya. The two were still slightly awkward with each other. He was really hoping that'd change while he was here.

"Thank you, Umeda. However, many customers come I will look after them all with care," Mr. Ashiya replied with a confident smile.

"We'll have to have a little party in celebration!" Mrs. Ashiya exclaimed.

"She just doesn't want to call it a going away party for us," Shizuki murmured to his boyfriend.

"I'll invite Gilbert," Mizuki volunteered.

"I'll call Lisa and tell her! She is my assistant after all! She has to be here!" Mr. Ashiya said excitedly, making a b-line for the phone. He bumped the table hard in his hurry to get up. Umeda was just in time to steady his cup before the coffee was spilled. Some of the other cups were not quite so fortunate. Mr. Ashiya chuckled in embarrassment. "Sorry, sorry."

"It's alright, dear. Make your phone call," Mrs. Ashiya waved him away.

Shizuki had already invited his friends over for dinner the last night of his visit home. He didn't want to leave without one more chance to hang out with all of them. With Lisa and Gilbert it would make the little get together perfect.

"Oh, and Julia your parents are coming to pick you up tonight right? We'll invite them to stay for dinner," Mrs. Ashiya smiled.

"They better stay for dinner. I'm not leaving without saying good bye to Gilbert and everyone else," Julia muttered to Rio, who giggled.

"I need to start figuring out what to make for dinner!" Mrs. Ashiya gasped, hurrying into the kitchen.

Shizuki laughed at his mother's behavior. She was always earnest about everything she did. "Looks like it will be a good evening. I guess what better pack this afternoon before it gets to busy."

Umeda finished up the last of his coffee. "I suppose that means we better start doing laundry."

"And gathering up our stuff that seems to have spread throughout the house." Shizuki remarked.

"Stop talking about packing! I don't want to go home yet," Rio grumbled.

"You can come back to visit again soon, Rio," Mizuki reassured her. "You're always welcome here."

Rio smiled. "Thanks, Mizuki."

There was something in the way she answered that made Umeda look up and narrow his eyes at his sister. She smiled back at him innocently. Oh, she was definitely up to something. She was scheming in that wicked little brain of hers. He could practically smell the smoke. Soon as he got back home he would dump her back on his parents. She would be there problem again, not his. That gave him a little bit of relief.

"C'mon," Shizuki grabbed his arm. "We've got a lot of stuff to do before dinner tonight."

Umeda followed his boyfriend, only glancing over his shoulder once to glare at his sister, who innocently avoided his look.

/

Dinner was wonderful. The entire table was packed with people. Even pulling out the two extra leafs for the table did not add quite enough room. People were still bumping elbows, but no one minded. The food was great. Shizuki's mother had out done herself once again. Everyone looked happy. Mizuki and Sano were practically glued at the hip. Rio and Gilbert sat almost as close together. Julia sat between the two couples, chatting with all of them. Houston, Sarah, Crystal, Chris, and Lisa were all grouped in the center of the table. Umeda and Shizuki were- of course -sitting in their pack. Shizuki's parents sat at the end with Julia's parents.

To Shizuki, it was all perfect. He was surrounded by friends and family for the last day of his time at home. It had been a great trip. It'd had a few rocky spots, but thanks to Umeda even those hadn't been to bad. Overall, he was definitely glad he'd come home. He had been a little nervous about it. He didn't know how his dad would react to Umeda. That had been his biggest worry. His dad seemed to have come to terms with his relationship with the doctor. He seemed to have started to like Umeda. That made him happy more than anything. The two still yet to talk alone though. Shizuki planned to remedy that before the evening was over. He wanted them to truly reach an understanding. To do so, they needed to talk to each other alone.

Shizuki glanced over at Umeda who was having a debate about education with Sarah and Chris. He smiled as he watched Umeda speak forcefully about his views on the high school education. He really did love this man. Umeda had been prickly and sarcastic when they'd first met. He had changed a lot since then, and especially since the two had started dating. Umeda had mellowed out, become friendlier, and he was happy now. Shizuki thought it was all a change for the better. He'd changed a lot himself too.

"So we were thinking about going to the bar after this. Are you two coming?" Houston interrupted his thoughts.

"Nah, I've got plans for the rest of the evening." Shizuki grinned.

Houston smirked. "Oh really?"

"Yes, really," the blond slanted his head towards his boyfriend.

"Well, enjoy yourselves," Houston grinned in return.

"Thanks, we will," Shizuki replied a bit lewdly.

Houston laughed. "Don't get to crazy. You do have to sit on a plane for an unGodly amount of time tomorrow."

The blond rolled his eyes a little, looking away to cover up his blush.

Dinner was over much to fast it seemed. Soon they were all moving out to the back porch and patio. The groups outside didn't change any. The teens took the picnic table. Shizuki's pack was arrayed across the stairs and porch railings. The parents took the porch swing and chairs. Coffee and dessert were brought out. A soft hum of conversation spread between them all.

"Don't eat dessert," Shizuki whispered into Umeda's ear.

The doctor blinked. "Why?"

"I've got special plans for later."

Umeda smirked. "Oh?"

Shizuki bumped his shoulder affectionately, but said no more on the subject.

Time passed by much to fast. The sun began to dip behind the trees. Good byes soon began to go around. Julia gave Mizuki, Sano, and Gilbert hugs. She reserved an extra big hug for Rio. They didn't know when they'd see each other again. There were a few sniffles and moist eyes between the girls. Julia was more than reluctant to go. She'd had so much fun the last two weeks. Soon she and her parents departed, leaving the group three people smaller. Shizuki's friends began to go too. There were lots of hugs, kisses, and promises to come back to visit again soon. Umeda and Houston engaged in a brief, intent conversation that Shizuki couldn't hear. The two exchanged handshakes and conspiratory smiles afterwards. Shizuki gave them both warning glares which they ignored. Sarah warned him not to mess up what he had and to be happy. Crystal wished them all the best. Chris simply shook hands with a simple good bye. Houston swept Shizuki up into a back breaking hug. He planted a kiss on the blond's lips before Shizuki could stumble away. The blond stared at him in utter shock. Houston laughed and said he it was the only chance he'd ever get for a kiss. He told Shizuki to have lots of great sex and wished him farewell. Shizuki stammered a promise to do so as he flushed bright red. Lisa gave him a big hug and kiss as well as a simple good bye too. Soon the good byes were over and they were all gone. Umeda and Shizuki went to sit back on the porch with his parents.

They watched as Rio and Gilbert wandered across the big backyard to go for walk in the woods. Mizuki and Sano disappeared into the house, probably to the living room. They were smart enough not go near Mizuki's bedroom with the parents still there. They all sat in silence as the sunset deepened a little further. After a moment, Shizuki stood up and touched his mother's arm.

"Would you like some help with the dishes, Mom?" Shizuki offered with a smile. He flicked his eyes towards his father. Her gaze immediately sharpened in understanding.

She smiled. "Of course, honey." She stood up. Mr. Ashiya started to get up too. "You stay here, Dear, and enjoy the nice weather. Shizuki's enough help."

The blond gave his mother a grateful smile. Thank God, she'd known what he'd been trying to do. He gestured at Umeda to stay too. The doctor glanced over at Mr. Ashiya then back at Shizuki with an uncertain expression. The blond smiled reassuringly before disappearing into the kitchen with his mother.

For the first time since Umeda came to visit he found himself alone with Mr. Ashiya. They sat in silence for several minutes. They both eyed each other warily from across the space of the back porch.

"You can ask me if you want," Umeda finally broke the silence.

"Ask you what?"

"Whatever it is you keep mulling over."

Mr. Ashiya looked at him in surprise.

"I work with teenagers all day long. I've gotten very good at reading faces."

"What are your intentions for my son?"

Umeda sat back. "Anything I say from here on out is total honesty. Ok?"

"Ok."

"I want to live with him the rest of my life. I want to wake up to his face every morning. I want to make love to him every night. And I will fight to make sure that happens."

Mr. Ashiya's eyebrows shot up. "You're very blunt."

"Yes. What do you think of what I said?"

"I think you're serious. I appreciate that. I think I'm ok with it."

Umeda felt the tension leave his shoulders. "Thank God."

Mr. Ashiya smiled. "I'm not usually this worrisome and tense. I've just been very concerned about Shizuki. And I guess concerned about you too."

"Because you don't know me?"

"Yes."

"Ask me anything you want."

"Were you ever in a relationship before Shizuki?"

Umeda smiled sadly. "No. I was in love with the same guy for 12 years, but he pretended like he didn't know. All I ever got from him was a rocky friendship at best. In fact, I'd given up on that guy about the same time Shizuki interned in Japan."

"And you just immediately went after my son?"

"You make me sound like a predator. And no, I didn't. I tried to stay away from him. I could tell there was some strong attraction between us and that scared me. I'd just gotten my heart torn to pieces by one straight guy. The last thing I needed was to get involved with another one."

"Shizuki told me he didn't want to love you when he was home. He was scared too."

"We were terrified. We didn't want admit it to ourselves, let alone each other, that we'd fallen in love. It was such a mess," Umeda was talking mostly to himself as he remembered.

Mr. Ashiya nodded understandingly. "I know the feeling very well. When my first wife died I thought I'd never be able to love again. I'd love her so much. I mourned her for years. I didn't think I could ever get over her. But then I met Eiko. And it was like the sun started shining again. I was terrified, because I was afraid to betray the memory of my first wife. But I loved Eiko and I wanted to be with her. Eventually I realized my wife would have wanted me to be happy, not wallow in misery. I moved on. I married Eiko. I've been happy every day I wake up to her."

Umeda swallowed hard. "I want that. I never thought I'd get it."

"You're not a bad guy, Umeda. I think it'd be ok if Shizuki lived with you. Just promise me you'll make him happy."

"I promise." Umeda answered sincerely. It was the most sincere he'd ever been with anyone besides Shizuki in a long time.

/

Gilbert stopped at a little clearing not to far into the woods. He sat down on a big stump of a log and gently tugged Rio down. She sat down beside him with a little smile. He was glad she wasn't so shy around him anymore. He enjoyed her open side a lot. They chatted about silly things for a little while until Gilbert finally broached the subject he wanted to talk about. He was a little nervous about what he wanted—which was a kiss. It was silly to be so anxious about something he had done so many times before, but this felt almost like treading on sacred ground.

"So are you ever gonna come visit again?" Gilbert asked, trying to sound casually.

Rio smiled. She never felt shy when he was nervous. It seemed to make her more at ease. It was a little funny really. "Would you like me too?"

"Yeah, I would," Gilbert answered honestly.

"I thought you liked Mizuki." She remarked off handedly.

Gilbert sighed a little sadly. "I did, but I'm smart enough to realize she's not gonna fall for me. I think that Sano guy will take good care of her."

They were silent for a few moments, listening to the crickets chirp.

"I'd like to come back here. It's very pretty. I really liked Berkeley College too. I was thinking maybe I'd like to go to school there," She said.

"Really?" He looked so hopeful that she couldn't help the little giggle that slipped out.

"Yes. I really think so. I might have some trouble talking my parents into it though. I think that Nii-san will help me with that," she replied.

There was another little pause.

"Is there anything else here you like?" He asked nonchalantly. A hint of nervousness bled through though.

She smirked at his obvious question. She had thought she'd be anxious when she finally got a chance to say this. She wasn't. "Yes. I like you."

Gilbert smiled, eyes bright with happiness. They seemed to glow catlike in the moonlight. "Good. I like you too." He leaned towards her. "May I kiss you?"

She blushed and clasped her hands nervously. Finally, her first kiss. She was so glad she had waited for the right guy to experience it with. "Yes."

He closed the rest of the space between them and pressed his lips to hers gently. It was chaste at first. When he reached up to grasp her shoulders she couldn't hold back a shiver of delight. A moment later, he slanted his mouth to deepen the kiss. She sighed into his mouth and kissed back as best as she could. It felt good—no great! It was better than she'd imagined. It was, intimate, and intense. She felt awareness prick along her skin like she'd never felt before. She suddenly knew what it was like to truly want another person. It was thrilling and frightening all at once. Gilbert drew back slowly as if sensing her conflicting emotions.

"You alright?" He asked gently.

"Yes," she whispered breathlessly. She was so much better than alright. She looked into his eyes and smiled softly. "That was my first kiss."

Gilbert blinked. "Oh?...Oh!" He suddenly looked flustered. "Eer…I…"

"I liked it. It was good," she told him sincerely.

He actually flushed a little. "Ummm…good. I'm glad." He felt a like a foolish high school kid again. He was to old to be acting like a nervous teenager. He was 2o for God's sake. Yet, this girl really pulled him out of his element. She was so cute. He couldn't believe he'd been her first kiss. He'd never been any girl's first anything. He was both humbled and even more interested now. A girl like her had to have tons of guys drooling over her. She'd never been with anyone?

He must have said that last part out loud because she started to laugh. "I do and no I haven't," she said. "But I have high standards. I was raised around beautiful men…with weird personalities. I wanted a normal guy who actually remembered my name before trying to hit on me. He had to be handsome too."

"Oh," he said, surprised. "Well, I thought you were cute from the start, but I like to get to know a person before I try to ask them out or anything."

Rio looked down at her hands before asking. "Could you, maybe, kiss me again?"

"Yes," he whispered, leaning down. "As many times as you want."

/

When the dishes were clean and Umeda and Mr. Ashiya had come inside, Shizuki deemed it safe to care out his plan for the rest of the evening. He grabbed an old fleece blanket, a lunchbox, and walked out the door. Umeda followed him out of curiosity. Dinner was over so what was the lunch box for? The blond walked to his car and deposited the items into the back seat. He then climbed into the driver's side before turning on the engine. Umeda got the hint. Soon as he was in with the door closed, Shizuki was pulling the car out of the driveway.

Umeda soon recognized some of the landmarks passing by outside the window. He smiled, knowing exactly where his boyfriend was headed. The woods soon surrounded them. Soon Shizuki was pulling off the road onto the dirt track. He got out, fished out the red cloth, and fixed it to the nearest tree. Within moments, they were parked by the big pond. Both got out of the car. Shizuki retrieved the blanket and lunchbox before marching off around the pond. He stopped on a knoll that sat higher than the rest of the shore line. He set down the lunchbox, shook out the blanket, and spread it on the ground. He gestured for Umeda to sit. The doctor sank to the ground on the blanket. The blond plopped down beside him. He reached into the cooler and took out a beer. He handed it over to Umeda with a grin.

Umeda took it and couldn't help, but smile back. He popped open the can then took a swig, tilting back his head. He caught a glimpse of the darkening sky. He lowered his can and stared up. Above him a break in the trees was showing off a gorgeous display of dying sunset colors. The moon was already peeking over the trees. Birds cooed to their lovers and crickets sang their songs loudly. The trees rustled in the faint breeze. It was peaceful.

"Mr. Romantic," Umeda chuckled. "No wine?"

"I figured we were men so we drink beer. Wine would make it seem like I'm trying to schmooze you," Shizuki chuckled.

"And you're not?"

"Nope," Shizuki replied, taking a gulp of beer. His hands were shaking a little.

"You're up to something though," Umeda remarked shrewdly.

"Never miss a thing, do you?" The blond leaned over and gave his lover a slow kiss.

Umeda smirked. "No. What are you scheming?"

Shizuki sighed softly. "Let's just sit here and enjoy ourselves a little first, please? It's our last night here and I want to spend it in my favorite place with you. Ok?"

"Ok." Umeda agreed, drinking more beer.

Shizuki dug out the dessert his mother had made for after dinner; a strawberry and vanilla pudding cake. It was the blond's favorite dessert. To him, it was equivalent with all things good during the summer. He handed a plate of it to Umeda. The two ate in silence, watching the sky darken to night overhead. A frog croaked nearby before diving into the pond below. Shizuki found it calming. Some of his nervousness about what he intended to do faded away.

"Thank you," Umeda broke the silence.

"Why?" Shizuki asked in confusion.

"For bringing me home with you to meet your family and friends. I had a good time." Umeda replied, setting his plate aside. "To be honest, I wasn't really expecting to."

"I'm happy it turned out better than you thought then. It means a lot to me that you came. I'm glad you and my dad finally got to talk too." Shizuki reached over to squeeze his hand.

"Yeah, me too. Guess I have permission to have you any way I want to," Umeda grinned.

Shizuki chuckled a little. "Yeah, about that last part…" He grabbed Umeda's shirt to tug him closer. He pressed another kiss to the doctor's lips.

"What about it?" Umeda asked, feeling his heart speed up with excitement.

"You can have me….any way you want to," Shizuki said slowly. He was nervous. He'd been avoiding this for so long. Houston had been right about doing this though. This relationship had to be more than just him taking for it to be equal. He wanted this thing between them to continue for a very long time. That meant giving his all to this man. It was only fair since Umeda had already done the same for him without asking more in return. Shizuki had been selfish so far. He didn't want to be anymore.

Umeda swallowed hard at the scared, earnest expression on his lover's face. His heart had skipped into triple time. Those words had been enough to fully arouse him in less than 10 seconds. Still something stalled him from tackling the blond and finally getting what he'd desired for months now. "Are you sure about this?"

"Yes. I've given it a lot of thought. I want to do this." Shizuki responded without hesitation.

"But you looked freaked." Umeda had to clench his fists to keep himself from stripping the blond naked.

"Well, I am a little. I've never attempted this before and the idea kinda scares me. I wanna do it though," Shizuki said, sounding more determined and confident than he really felt.

Umeda regarded him for another long moment before making up his mind. "Alright, we'll take it slow."

"I know you won't hurt me," Shizuki smiled gently.

There was a lot of trust in that statement. It made Umeda get that warm, happy feeling he got whenever Shizuki said 'I love you.' He knew it was ok to do this then. He pushed the blond gently onto his back before leaning over him. He wasn't surprised when Shizuki went tense all over. Despite his words and conviction, he was still scared. It was like the first time all over again. Umeda would have to be patient and take it slow for the blond's sake. He started with just soft, searching kisses. He was in no hurry. The kisses quickly turned into a heated make out session. Umeda's hands slid through hair, lips tasted damp sweat salty skin down his jaw, throat and chest, and clothes just seemed to disappear. The air was charged between them with lust, love, and the heady rush of need. It wasn't long before they were both lying naked together with Umeda lying on top. That in itself was very different. It was very rare that Umeda ever got to keep this position for long. That would change tonight.

Umeda's hand strayed over an arching, straining erection before grasping it firmly. He gave Shizuki's cock a few firm strokes before scooting down to take it in his mouth. The blond gasped sharply, trying his best not to surge his hips upwards into the doctor's mouth. Shizuki moaned in the back of his throat. Umeda was just to damn good at this. It was like he'd made an art out of sucking cock. Shizuki bit his lip as he tried to check the urge to just let the doctor make him come from his mouth alone. He was about to tell Umeda to stop before he lost it, but the sudden nudge of a finger against his back side sent him instinctively scrambling to get away. He cringed when Umeda sat back on his heels to look at him in concern.

"I'm fine. Really. It just startled me," Shizuki tried to reassure the doctor, who didn't look convinced.

"You are going to have to relax. We aren't gonna get anywhere if you don't settle down a little bit," Umeda remarked factually. He wasn't trying to be blunt or mean; he was just horny. He was trying to make himself calm down a little.

Shizuki nodded and licked his lips. "I know. Maybe it's knowing that it might be coming that's freaking me out."

"Would it help if I blindfolded you?" Umeda teased.

"It might actually," Shizuki answered, after a brief pause.

Umeda stared at him in shock. "Are you serious?"

"If I can't see what you're doing then I won't tense up as much…," Shizuki replied. "At least in theory."

"Ok," Umeda shrugged. He looked around for something suitable to use. He settled for his button down shirt. While he leaned over to grab, Shizuki reached inside the lunchbox to pull out a bottle of lube. Umeda laughed when the blond set it on the blanket beside them. "That's an interesting item to stash in a lunchbox."

"Well, where else was I supposed to put it?" Shizuki blushed a little.

Umeda laughed. "Good point. Ok, turn around."

Shizuki licked his lips nervously again and sat up to turn over. He was still turned on, but the anxious feeling in his stomach was like a nagging woman in an old man's ear. He slowly turned around. He smiled when the doctor kissed the back of his neck. He heard the rustle of cloth before it suddenly blotted out his vision. He'd been blindfolded during sex before and oddly enough he'd learned then that he relaxed better when he couldn't see. Umeda quickly tied the cloth securely around the blond's head before scooting back.

"Hokuto?"

"Relax. I'm still here. I'm just admiring the view." The doctor's grin could be heard in his words.

Shizuki shook his head. He sucked in a harsh breath when Umeda reached around to run one finger slowly up the underside of his dick. He growled when the doctor chuckled at his reaction. He shivered when strong hands palmed his hips and rubbed soothing circles in the skin. Those hands slide up his hips in a line to just under his ribs. Shizuki's muscles quivered as pleasure zinged down his nerves to settle oddly enough in his ass. It was like his tail bone was the tuning fork for all the pleasure he was feeling this time, not his cock. It was a little disconcerting. He moaned as those hands traveled the same path downwards.

"God, you're beautiful," Umeda's breath washed over the blond's neck. "I've hardly done anything and your cock's already leaking."

Shizuki swallowed hard, trying to ignore the twinge of embarrassment he felt at those dirty words. He tipped his head to the side. "Kiss me."

The doctor couldn't deny a request like that. He leaned forward to capture the blond's lips in an intense, wild kiss that had both of them moaning in seconds. Shizuki felt like not being able to see was maximizing the sensation of everything tenfold. Even the doctor's lips felt warmer and softer than usual. Umeda's hands slipped around to squeeze the cheeks of Shizuki's ass. God, he couldn't wait to bury himself inside this man. He couldn't believe he was going to be the first and only man that would ever have Shizuki this way. He nipped the blond's lips before soothing the sting away with his tongue. His cock twitched hard as he continued to knead Shizuki's ass. He pulled back abruptly, unable to stand the teasing any longer. He pushed Shizuki down on to his hands and knees almost forgetting to help him, because he couldn't see. He was so aroused that his brain felt like it was lost in a hazy of lust.

"Oh fuck," He breathed, seeing the blond bent over like that.

Shizuki instinctively turned his head towards the sound of his lover's voice. "Umeda?" He sounded a little scared again.

"It's ok. I'll go slowly. I'll be gentle. I promise," Umeda whispered almost reverently as he palmed that beautiful ass again.

He forced himself to reach higher to caress up and down the length of Shizuki's back to help calm them both. He leaned over to press a trail of kisses from the blond's neck, down his spin, and to the crest of his butt. When he felt the blond start to tense he started back up at the top. He didn't want Shizuki to anticipate anything he was going to do. The idea was to keep Shizuki from tensing up or freaking out at the most important moment. He waited patiently until Shizuki's body relaxed beneath his kisses.

He reached down to spread Shizuki's ass cheeks, sliding his fingers down his crack and over the twitching hole that laid within. Beneath him, Shizuki's fingers dug into the blanket as he made a little noise of unease. Umeda could tell he was visibly holding himself back from jerking away again. Umeda continued to massage his fingers through the same area until gradually Shizuki's hands lost their death grip on the blanket. Umeda waited a moment longer before bending down to swipe his tongue across that puckered hole.

"Ah! What the hell!" Shizuki gasped, struggling to get away.

Umeda couldn't help but laugh. He remembered reacting the same way the first time someone had done the same to him. "Calm down. It felt good, didn't it?"

Shizuki made a mortified sound.

"I'll take that as yes," Umeda said with a grin before doing it again. Shizuki wriggled in his grasp, but Umeda refused to let get away. He swirled his tongue around the hole, smirking when Shizuki whimpered in humiliation. He glanced up to see the blond's face stained an enchanting shade of red before nipping Shizuki's ass teasingly.

"Hey!"

Umeda chuckled then tasted the blond once more. This time he pushed his tongue inside. Shizuki squeaked in shock. The doctor made a soothing sound in the back of his throat. He pushed his tongue in deeper, swirling it around. Shizuki made another shuddery whimper and began to struggle again. Umeda drew back quickly. He kissed one ass cheek before massaging both.

"You ok?" he asked.

Shizuki took several long deep breaths beneath him before answering, "Yes."

"Felt good?"

There was a brief moment of silence as Shizuki struggled to get the words past the swell of embarrassment in his throat. "Yes."

Umeda smiled. "Good. That's just the beginning. Next, I'll do this." He stuck his finger in his mouth, wetting it thoroughly, before tickling the opening of Shizuki's ass. Another cute disconcerted noise slipped past the blond's lips. He barely finished making it when felt Umeda press that finger inside of him. He went rigid for a moment. His finger is in my ass, Shizuki thought in utter shock. It was a weird sensation. He tried to classify the feeling, but there was nothing to compare it to in order to try. It was to different from anything else he knew related to sex.

The doctor was glad the blond wasn't freaking out like he'd been afraid would happen. He popped open the bottle of lube and dripped some over Shizuki's hole as well as his fingers. He let the blond relax around him before beginning to gently rock his finger in and out. He let the blond adjust to how that felt for a few moments before pressing in a second finger. He leaned over to kiss up the blond's spin and nip at the nap of his neck. Shizuki swallowed hard and groaned as those fingers scissored him slowly. It all just felt so weird to him. It stung a little, but it wasn't very painful. It was more of just being hyper aware of an area on his body he usually gave very little regard too. Shizuki concentrated on the feel of Umeda's weight, warmth, and skin against his back to help keep himself grounded. He almost got used to the fingers being inside him as he let the doctor's lips sooth his skin. His eyes popped wide under the temporary blind fold as another finger was inserted inside him. This time it stung a lot more. He groaned in discomfort, wriggling away from the sensation, but Umeda's hand held him in place. He shuddered as those fingers rubbed at his insides, stretching and scissoring wider still.

Umeda pulled his fingers out Shizuki's ass. He reached for the pile of their clothes. He grabbed them and wadded them before tucking them under Shizuki's chest as a cushion. "Lay on that. I don't want you trying to hold yourself up. Your arms will get strained."

Shizuki swallowed hard as he let his chest drop to the ground as he tried to arrange his arms into a more comfortable position. Umeda telling him this could only mean one thing. Penetration was next. He felt his stomach quiver a little in fear. He blinked a little in surprise when Umeda went back to kissing his ass. Maybe he'd been wrong. Umeda palmed his hips again and snuggled his hips up tight against Shizuki's ass. Both paused for a second, neither moving or breathing, as Umeda's cock nuzzled against Shizuki's hole like it was trying to find its home. Umeda caressed the blond's hips as he rubbed his dick back and forth across that inviting hole. He was hoping Shizuki would unwind just a little before he tried to press in. He couldn't wait to much longer though. His cock was pulsing so hard from arousal that it was almost painful. Still, he waited until he felt the blond's body loosen up just a little; then he was moving forward. The head of his dick slipped in easily. Shizuki tensed and whined as Umeda began to press in further.

"Shhhh, you're ok," Umeda soothed. "Take a deep breath. Relax or you'll hurt yourself."

Shizuki forced himself to take long, deep breaths and focus on the feel of Umeda's caresses on his hips. His body began to release some of its tension. He tried his best to stay relaxed as Umeda continued to press inside of him. There was pressure and stretching, stinging pain as Umeda tunneled deeper. He was shocked when he felt the soft brush of the doctor's balls against his ass. He'd taken it all in. The thought made him turn red.

"Oh fuck," Umeda gasped out. He'd never felt anyone so tight, warm, and wet in his life. It was ecstasy. It was like finding total perfection. "Fuck, Shizuki." He was barely coherent to say that.

The blond groaned at the lust and awe in his lover's voice. It was pleasing to know the man was lost in the sensations of his body just from penetration. He was still struggling to get used to the intrusion. He felt stretched beyond anything he'd ever felt. What was really mind boggling to him was how full and right this felt though. He expected it to hurt, to be humiliating, and not enjoy this. Instead, he was feeling like his body had been waiting for this. It was incredible.

"Fuck," he breathed in amazement. "You're really inside me…"

"Right to the rim." Umeda whispered, looking down to drink in the erotic sight of his cock buried in his lover's ass for the first time. "So fucking hot. Can I move?"

"Yeah." Shizuki consented after a moment of hesitation.

The first thrust had them both gasping in unison. Umeda's fingers dug into the blond's hips as he began to move in a slow, steady rhythm. Shizuki concentrated on the new, odd feeling of Umeda moving inside of him. The sting lasted for several thrusts then began to melt away as his body got used to the slip and slid of that hot cock inside him. He lost the rest of the tension in his body. He let his hips rock in the tide of Umeda's thrusts as he let himself just feel.

Umeda bit his lips as Shizuki's hips began to move in tandem with his. The tight heat and friction had him almost seeing stars. It felt like Shizuki's body had wrapped his cock in a bear hug on the inside. He wanted to move faster, go deeper, and fuck Shizuki until he screamed. He forced himself to speed up slowly. He'd promised to be gentle. He would keep his word, despite his body begging him to fuck Shizuki into the ground. That kind of sex could come later. He would be gentle and go slow, even if he got blue balls doing it.

The doctor pressed the blond's shoulders down lower, making Shizuki splay across the blanket. He held onto Shizuki's hips with one hand as he leaned over the curve of the blond's back. He used other hand to prop himself up as he began to fuck deeper. The new position changed the angle of his cock. The next thrust in rewarded him with a sharp yelp and a jerk of Shizuki's hips.

"What-?" Shizuki gasped in confusion. It had felt like an electric charge of pleasure had bolted straight from his ass to his brain then down to his cock.

Umeda laughed breathlessly. "That was your sweet spot. If you liked how you were feeling before this is a hundred times better."

Shizuki cried out as Umeda hit that spot harder with the next thrust. "Fuck," he gasped. It was like a thousand electric tingles singeing every nerve at once and echoing down into his cock. His body trembled as Umeda moved faster, hitting that spot every other thrust now. A steady stream of moans and whimpers slipped past Shizuki's lips as he struggled to keep up with the sensations overwhelming his senses.

"Ah!" He gasped when Umeda seemed to somehow go deeper still. He tangled his fingers in the doctor's when he draped himself fully across the blond's back. Their hips rocked together in an age old dance of give in and take. Shizuki was beyond embarrassment. He was beyond thinking. He was lost in the feel of everything happening to his body. He swallowed hard as he listened to Umeda's pants against his neck, the slap of sweaty skin on skin, and the wet slid of sex. It was a new kind of erotic to him. He didn't know sex could be like this. He had no idea this was what Umeda was feeling every time he had fucked the doctor. Now he understood why Umeda loved it. It felt like a firestorm of sensation building steadily inside of him. His balls tightened with impending orgasm, but it was so different from what he was used to feeling. His hips stuttered against Umeda's.

"Shit," he groaned as the feeling grew intensely with every thrust. "Hokuto…!"

Umeda grinned in a predatory manner. "Almost there? So am I. Don't you dare come without me."

Shizuki buried his face in his arms. Umeda reached up to yank the blindfold off the blond's face. Shizuki gasped as he finally got see what was happening to him. The sight of Umeda leaning over him as the slap-slap of thrusts continued made his throat tighten. He glanced between his arms to see his cock bouncing against his stomach and Umeda's thighs rocking against his own. He couldn't see that cock buried inside of him, but he'd have plenty of time for that later. He bit his lip as he tried to hold out from coming. He was so fucking close now; like a teeter tooter swinging inevitably towards the opposite direction. "Please," he heard himself beg. He couldn't take it anymore. Umeda's hand closed around his dick and he was gone. His entire body felt like it snapped. He came so hard it almost hurt. It was so intense and so fucking, unbelievably amazing. He squeezed his eyes shut to trap the tears that were threatening to fall from over stimulation. He heard someone yelling and was shocked to realize it was him. He was aware of Umeda slamming inside of him twice more before he came with loud cry. He felt warmth flood his insides, half snapping him out of his orgasm induced haze. That was a sensation he certainly had never felt before.

He tilted his head over his shoulder to capture Umeda's lips in a kiss. The two exchanged sweet, soft kisses for a brief moment before Umeda pushed himself back up onto his knees. He palmed Shizuki's hips again as he pulled his softening dick out from inside his lover. His cock gave a half hearted twitch of interest at the erotic sight of cum leaking out in the wake of its absence inside the blond. Shizuki flushed bright red as Umeda spread his cheeks to watch the cum leak out more.

"Damn," Umeda murmured in awe. "You are so fucking hot." He watched for another moment before kissing the swell of Shizuki's ass. He flopped over onto his side next to the blond, utterly sated and spent from the intense sex they'd just shared. "That was awesome." He felt like such a giddy teenager for saying it, but the word covered everything. He rolled his head to the side to see Shizuki grinning at him. "Thank you," he said seriously.

"You're welcome. That was…wow. Definitely doing that again," Shizuki chuckled as he flipped over to lay on his back. He pulled the clothes out from under them and laughed at their sad, crumbled state. "Hope no one's there when we get back. They'll definitely know what we were up to."

"Who cares. It was worth it. " Umeda replied, taking his boxers and slipping them back on.

"Yes."

They slipped their clothes back on, gathered up the blanket and lunchbox, before heading back to the care. Umeda caught Shizuki up in a tight embrace soon as he'd set his armload in the car. The blond smiled as the doctor held him close. He pressed a kiss against Umeda's neck. Umeda whispered one more heartfelt thank you before kissing him soundly. They held each other for a few minutes more. They pulled away and climbed into the car. The pond disappeared behind them, and then soon the forest itself faded into the background. Umeda watched the scenery recede in the mirror. It had been the perfect end to a good day. It was the perfect end of great vacation. He'd be happy to go home, but he would certainly never forget this time they had spent here in California. There had been a lot of new things that had happened to him here. Shizuki had finally fully opened up to him and accepted every aspect of their relationship. They were closer now than they had been before coming here.

Thank God for California, Umeda thought with a grin. The trip had definitely been worth it.


	13. Epilogue

The plane ride home was not to bad; just very long. Umeda spent most of it working on crossword puzzles and reading, while Shizuki slept with his head on his boyfriend's shoulder. Beside Umeda, Rio sat looking through all the brochures, booklets, and pages of information Gilbert had given her for Berkeley College. She had told him bluntly that she was thinking about going to college there in the fall. He had been a little surprised. He had immediately questioned to make sure she wasn't doing it just because of a boy. Rio had given her the patented 'you're my big brother, but you're an idiot' look. She had told him that it wasn't, because of Gilbert. She had loved that college and felt like she would have a wonderful experience there. He hadn't been entirely convinced. He didn't like the idea that he couldn't keep an eye on his little sister if she was all the way over in California. She'd just rolled her eyes at him and told him she could take care of herself. Besides that she wouldn't be alone. Mizuki, Julia, and the Ashiyas would all be there. And Gilbert, he'd grumbled. She'd pretended to not hear him and went back to reading her book. The rest of the flight had been uneventful. They'd made back to their apartment after dropping Rio off without any issues.

A few days slipped by before Umeda happened to mention Rio's Berkeley idea to Shizuki during a commercial break on TV.

"So Rio's decided to go to U.C. Berkeley for college?" Shizuki repeated in disbelief.

"Yes. She said she liked the area."

"Uh huh."

The two grinned at each other knowingly.

"I'm sure that was her argument when she got my father to agree to pay for it." Umeda smirked. "If she had mentioned she wanted to go there because of a boy, he would have had a fit."

"I can only imagine. I wonder what they'll think of Rio dating an American. Looks like it's becoming a trend in the family," Shizuki teased his boyfriend.

Umeda rolled his eyes. "Gilbert better take good care of her," Umeda grumbled.

"He will. Hey, at least you got to meet the guy before she showed up with some stranger announcing their engagement." The blond chuckled.

"Don't jump the gun. I still don't think he's good enough for her," Umeda crossed his arms irritably.

Shizuki laughed. "Of course not. It's your brotherly right to feel that way. I still think Sano doesn't deserve Mizuki, but she's happy so I can't object to much."

Umeda shrugged and went back to reading his book.

Shizuki plopped down beside Umeda. "I've decided what I wanted to do with myself."

Umeda turned his head away from the TV to look over at his boyfriend to make sure the blond knew he had his full attention. "And?"

"I'm gonna work at the hospital here in the pediatric ward. When summer rolls around I would like to go to California for a month to visit family and volunteer at the hospital there. Both hospitals mean a lot to me so I'd like to be involved with both. Plus, I get to work with children like I want to. As far as having my own pediatrics clinic or working in a clinic, I'll figure that out later. I'd like to gain some more experience in my field first before branching out. So this solution seems to solve all the issues." Shizuki explained happily. He was proud of himself for thinking of it. He could have a career that helped children and would be something he could enjoy doing every day for the rest of his life. It really was the perfect solution.

"I think it's a great idea. I'm not to crazy about you leaving me here for a month or two every summer, but I think I can survive it. Just remember to save some time for our personal vacation. One week out of the year (maybe two) I would like us to travel together. Whether we actually leave the bedroom long enough to see anything once we get there is unimportant," Umeda grinned.

The blond chuckled. "You're such a horny pervert."

"Yes, and you like it."

"Who are you trying to convince?"

"Certainly not you."

"Whatever."

Umeda smirked triumphantly. Another round won in his mental score book. "So now that the visit with parents is over we should take that week of vacation."

Shizuki rolled his eyes. "We just got back from vacation."

"And? We live here all year. We don't have to go very far for it to be considered 'traveling.'" The doctor said loftily.

"What'd you have in mind?" The blond asked skeptically.

"Now you're catching on. I already bought us a vacation package in Tohuko at a hotel off the beach. We'll both be visiting a place neither of us has seen before." Umeda informed his lover smugly.

Shizuki's mouth dropped. "You sneaky bastard! How long have you had this planned?"

"Quite a while. Thank Kami-Sama your California plans didn't interfere with mine."

"So we leave when…?"

"Next week. And for 7 days you'll be all mine." Umeda leaned forward with a wicked smile. "And I will have you every way I can get you."

The blond's eyes widened in surprise. Lust, anticipation, and a touch of nerves spiraled its way down his spin. Umeda grinned like a wolf about to eat the rabbit. He could read every emotion flickering across the blond's face. This would be a vacation to remember.

/

Umeda hadn't been lying when he said he'd have Shizuki every way he could get. They'd barely made it into the hotel room before the doctor had the blond stripped naked and under him on the bed. His reasoning was that the bed needed to be checked to make sure it could last the week for them. Shizuki had only rolled his eyes and pulled his lover in for a long kiss. Shizuki was pretty sure they'd had sex on just about every piece of furniture in the hotel room. Nothing was left untouched; from the couch, to the floor, to the counter in the kitchenette, and the sink in the bathroom. Now that Shizuki had finally allowed Umeda to start being the seme he truly was the doctor just couldn't seem to get enough. Shizuki was pretty sure that by the end of the week, he wouldn't be able to walk, sit, or sleep on his back for days. Surprisingly enough, they did manage to leave the room for a few hours every day. They even went swimming in the water several times, though not without wandering hands teasing down Shizuki's swim trunks.

Shizuki had absolutely refused to have sex on the beach—even after it got dark. He knew there were police who patrolled the area just for that reason. He wasn't about to be one of the unlucky couples to get caught. Umeda had pouted the whole way back to the hotel. The only way Shizuki had been unable to get that unhappy look off his lover's face was to agree to this…

They were ten stories up with the blond pressed naked to the window being done from behind. The fact that anyone could look up and see them was somehow unsettling, yet incredibly fucking hot at the same time. Thankfully the lights in their hotel room were off. Still anyone could look up and see what they were doing. Ok, so they might only see an online of a naked guy—not all the details—but even so, it wouldn't take a genius to figure out what was being done to him. Apparently, he had a kink for public sex and didn't even realize it until now. Even so, that didn't lessen the worry that someone might report them if they were seen.

"Relax. No one's gonna see us this far up." Shizuki could hear the smirk in Umeda's tone of voice.

"You planned this from the start, didn't you?" Shizuki gasped, as the doctor's fingers danced over his backside teasingly.

"Hell yes," Umeda grinned as he spread the blond's ass cheeks. He leaned forward to swipe his tongue across the puckered hole in front of him. Shizuki moaned heavily, spreading his legs unconsciously, as the doctor's tongue pressed inside of him. "Ah!" The blond couldn't hold back the sharp sound that escaped his lips. He flexed his hips as his cock twitched hard with arousal. Holy fuck, how did that feel so amazing? After days of sex, he realized he may never get de-sensitized to the feel of a tongue down there. He bucked his hips again when Umeda swirled his tongue then sucked. He was embarrassed by how much he enjoyed this now. Two weeks ago he would have never believed he liked this kind of ass play. Now, it practically melted his insides and made him cum without any other kind of stimulation. "Fuck!" He bit out when the tongue disappeared to be replaced with a finger. His hips stuttered when Umeda bent down to lick his tongue over his taint. Shizuki's hand slapped the glass as his body sang with pleasure. His head fell back onto Umeda's shoulder when the doctor stood up. They were pressed back to chest. Umeda's cock snuggled between his ass cheeks and pressed at his hole.

"Look at you," Umeda breathed, staring at the blond's reflection in the window. He rolled his hips so the tip of his cock pressed against Shizuki's hole. The blond trembled the entire length of his body. He looked at his face mirrored back at him in the glass. He looked like a man about to be fucked. His hair was in disarray, bite marks littered his skin, sweat gave him body a soft shine, and the tip of his cock was leaving smears of pre-cum on the glass. He looked loose, needy, and lusty. He swallowed hard as his fingers flexed on the glass. To Umeda, he looked like a sex fantasy come to life. He couldn't hold back any more.

He grabbed the blond's hips and thrust forward, burying his cock inside the hot, wet heat of Shizuki's body. The blond arched his hips, gasping harshly, as the doctor slid fully inside him. They hadn't done it standing up before so they angle was new to the blond. His eyes rolled back when Umeda slid fully inside him and pressed firmly against his sweet spot. Unbelievable. At this angle, the doctor was the perfect length to hit his prostate without even having to try. Fuck! Shizuki swallowed hard as pleasure sizzled across every nerve in his body and singing down to his cock like a tuning fork. He couldn't hold back the loud moan when Umeda began to thrust his hips out then in. The pace was agonizingly slow at first. Each thrust had Shizuki's body arching with gratification before it fizzled out only to be rekindled. It was like a rolling tide—slow and steady. But the blond needed more. He groaned in the back of his throat impatiently.

Umeda snickered behind him. "You could just ask me…"

"I won't," the blond snapped stubbornly.

The doctor huffed out a laugh against his shoulder. He enjoyed the shiver of delight he saw sweep through the blond's body when he laved at the nape of that pale neck. He was keeping it slow not just to drive Shizuki crazy, but to prolong the sex. He was so turned on from watching the blond's reflection in the glass and knowing they could get caught that he was having a hard time keeping it together. He refused to come before Shizuki. That was just unacceptable.

"Bet you will," Umeda challenged, tightening his grip on the blond's hips as he made the next stroke extra slow. He had to grit his teeth towards the end, because the slow pace made the friction from Shizuki's tight body that much more intense around his cock.

"Damn you."

"Yes."

"Ungh," the blond groaned as Umeda pressed against his sweet spot hard.

"Say it."

Shizuki gritted his teeth as the doctor's dick slid slowly out. "Fuck, fine! HURRY UP! Please!"

Umeda nearly came just from hearing that. His fingers dug into the blond's hips as he paused for a second to gather his control back. He'd had dreams about the day Shizuki would finally beg to be fucked like this. This was even better than a dream. By about a 100 times.

"Hokuto…," Shizuki's voice sounded strained from the sudden lack of movement all together.

The doctor snapped his hips forward hard at the sound his name whispered like that. He needed to cum so badly now, and he wasn't coming alone. His pace was a dramatic change from the slowness of before. Now it was all the blond could do to hang on and brace himself against the glass. Every stroke was perfection. It didn't matter how Umeda moved, there was no bad angle in this position. Shizuki couldn't stop the almost constant stream of gasps and moans that fell from his lips as his breath fogged the glass. His body seemed to be flying into sensation overload in only a matter of a few hard, quick thrusts. Each thrust was building a crescendo of pleasure to almost unbelievable levels. He had no idea how he didn't cum within seconds. He barely held it together as he listened to the sound of his cock sliding across slippery glass, Umeda's breathing and moans of delight in his ear, and the slap of his lover's dick moving in and out of him.

They teetered on the edge of release for several breathless moments. Then suddenly it smashed into them like an ocean tide against a cliff. For the first time, they were coming together—bodies rocking and voices loud. Shizuki's cum splattered in big gobs onto the glass in front of him. He could Umeda's cum like a spreading warmth deep inside of him. He clenched around the sensation, making the doctor yelp helplessly in delight. They sagged against the window—a trembling mass of intertwined limbs as they struggled to stay upright.

"Shit," Umeda gasped. His brain was still on overload from the amount of pleasure still burning through his body. He grinned when he realized something. "You just came without me touching your cock."

Shizuki blinked a little dumbly as he processed that information. "Yeah."

"I am awesome," Umeda smirked, kissing the back of his lover's neck.

"It was the angle. It was perfect," Shizuki rolled his eyes at his boyfriend's smug tone. "Now get off me. I think you might have crushed my lungs."

"Didn't hear you complain about it earlier," the doctor remarked as he pulled out of the blond. He stepped back enough to watch in admiration as the cum leaked from the hole he'd just been inside of. That was always so fucking hot to see to him. Shizuki shoved him back playfully before they both staggered over to the bed and collapsed.

"You think the cleaning lady will say anything about the cum on the window tomorrow?" Shizuki asked thoughtfully.

Umeda shrugged. "She hasn't commented on the other various cum splatters in odd places."

"I bet she'll be happy when we leave. This place reeks of sex," the blond grinned up at the ceiling.

"And it is so worth it," the doctor smirked again.

They didn't care that they were still sweaty and sticky as they pulled the covers over themselves. The bed was already a wreck anyways. They fell asleep within minutes.

/

Umeda may have had his way all week with Shizuki, but the blond was about to end that trend. It was their last official day of vacation. He was going to get his for sure. That was the promise he made to himself soon as they woke up. His sore backside had helped him along in that decision. Shizuki had no intention of letting the doctor have him again until he'd gotten to have Umeda. He may have discovered that he liked to bottom, but that didn't mean he'd given up playing top. And he what he wanted was Umeda begging him for release. He'd get it too. He just had to bide his time.

Their morning began as usual. Waking up in each other's arms, showering together with the blond fending off wandering hands, and then eating a relaxing breakfast around their little table in the hotel room. He ignored the suspicious glances Umeda was giving him through the morning. The doctor could sense that he was up to something., but he didn't say anything. They went out to explore more of the town for the afternoon. Shizuki finished up his souvenir shopping for his family. They ate lunch at a little American café style place. They walked together holding hands and chatting about whatever as they wandered about. All the while, Shizuki's desire smoldered in the pit of his stomach and kept him half hard all afternoon.

They returned back to their room for a lazy evening. They joked some more about the poor cleaning lady having to change their sheets, because they definitely needed some fresh ones. The TV got turned on to some random trivia game show. Of course, Umeda knew nearly all the answers. Shizuki pretended to work a crossword puzzle as he continued to wait and plot out the right moment. It was close…

Right when Umeda turned to say something about one of the questions on the game show, Shizuki pounced. His crossword puzzle went flying to who gave a fuck wherever as he dived on top of Umeda. He captured the doctor's mouth in a rough, biting kiss—swallowing the yelp of surprise in glee. His hands had Umeda's belt and pants undone before the doctor could even comprehend what was happening. He grabbed the waistband of the pants and boxers then yanked them off in a matter of seconds to be tossed to the floor. Umeda moaned heatedly as the blond's still clothed hips rocked against his naked, growing arousal. The blond fumbled for the packet of lube he'd stuffed in his pants pocket earlier in the morning. He reared back long enough to rip the damn thing open with his teeth and smear it across his fingers. He wiped the doctor's mocking smirk off his face with hard, sucking bite to his throat. Umeda cried out in pained pleasure as his teeth and tongue assaulted his neck while two fingers buried themselves inside his ass. Shizuki knew he liked the pain—and though he found it odd—he no longer questioned Umeda about it. If the doctor didn't stop him or tell him no then he knew it was alright. He prepped his lover as fast and as thoroughly as he could manage before slipping his fingers out and lubing up his cock. An entire day of waiting with lust coiling in his gut had made him impatient and hungry for the man beneath him.

He fumbled his pants open one handed before pressing Umeda further back against the couch. He lined up his dick with that waiting hole. He glanced up once to see his lover watching him with a needy, lustful expression and knew there would be no fight for control in this instance. He slid into Umeda, eyes falling shut as ecstasy immediately stole his breath away. His mouth fell open as he sank further and further inside his lover until he was fully seated. He was always in awe of this amazing, heated sensation of being enveloped by Umeda's body. The doctor's hands latched onto his biceps as he shifted to spread his legs wider to easier accommodate the blond. Shizuki groaned low and breathy as he pulled out then thrust back in the first time. The doctor laughed, sounding a little giddy, as his fingers flexed on the blond's arms.

They fucked fast, sloppy, and rough. Shizuki came faster than he'd anticipated, unable to hold out for long after a week of not being inside his lover. He just couldn't stop himself. It felt to damn good. He felt like he emptied everything he had inside his lover by the time he finally came down from his orgasm. Umeda didn't complain. In fact, he was more than happy when the blond pulled out of him to finish him off with a blow job. Umeda would never get over how amazing Shizuki's mouth looked around his dick. He came with a shout loud enough to make their neighbors pound on the wall in protest. They didn't care. They were both pretty sure they'd stained the couch with cum, but it didn't really matter. It wasn't the first cum stain put there that week. They lay there together on the couch for a while afterwards before they finally decided it was time to get cleaned up for dinner.

Dinner was eaten in picnic fashion out on the beach from carry out from a local restaurant. They watched the sun set over the ocean and stayed out watching the waves until it was completely dark. Then they went upstairs to their room. Shizuki made love to Umeda one more time—properly on the bed. It was the end to a perfect week. In the morning, they packed their bags and checked out.

They were happy to go back home to their own apartment—and to the rest of their lives together. All the big hurdles set against them had been overcome. The worry of being accepted by Shizuki's family was gone. The shaky future of the blond's career was now resolved. Umeda had no more fears or worries that Shizuki would leave him. They'd had their honeymoon in a sense that week. While their trip to California had cemented their bond. The past week had sealed their commitment to each other. Life would never be boring as long as they were together. That much was certain. The hardships would come and go, but they'd make it. They were both in it to the end.

Because that's what being in love is all about.

THE END

/

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